Neptunia PC Chronicles
by PanzerHippo
Summary: The CPUs of Gamindustri weren't the only heroes of Hyper Dimension. On the other side of the world lies the PC Continent with their own goddesses as an unexpected situation brings them together...
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Chapter 0: Prologue**

 _Far to the East, beyond the Eastern sea, the PC Continent lies mostly unknown to the people and CPUs of Gamindustri. The lands of the PC continent are split into five main nations: Cape Aspiration, Conderica, Pedissia, Azulerdam and Calipolis. They govern the lands from Corlasts to maintain the peace of the continent. Each nation is unique in their cultures and geography, as well as their protectors known as "Devs"._

 _For many years, both Gamindustri and PC continent have coexisted without much contact between the two landmasses. Even though many events, disasters and glory occurred on Gamindustri, they were not the only ones keeping order around the globe. Within_ _the_ _PC_ _Continent_ _,_ _Devs_ _take the role that CPUs do in Gamindustri,_ _blessed with great powers and potential albeit not burdened with the responsibilities of governing nations_ _. So, this is their story, their mishaps and their journey._

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S' NOTES:_

 _Panzer_Bros:  
_ I'm still relatively new to the Neptunia franchise, starting with the anime around a year ago in mid 2017, and expanded from there. But, I can say I really do enjoy this series. Even going as far as streaming Megadimension Victory Part 2. Into the Leanbox arc of the middle section of the game, I had some DLC characters in use and had just met another: Nitroplus, from the PC continent. This is where all of this began; with one character and one question: "What is the PC continent like?" And thus it began.

Imagination went wild from there. Moreover with help from HistoricHippos (both in streams and on the storyboard), managed to create all of this you see before you.

So, enjoy what we've managed to achieve here.

 _HistoricHippos:  
_ Just like Panzer_Bros above, I'm new to the Neptunia franchise. In fact, I only got into it because I started watching his _Megadimension Neptunia VII_ streams out of boredom; since then, I started watching the anime and got more into the franchise. And just what what he said, it all began the day he encountered Nitroplus during _Neptunia VII_ 's second story arc that this all took off, with questions like "what's over there?", "who or what lives there?", etc.

We compiled whatever ideas we had of a whole new world in one big idea dump (40+ pages!), coming up with characters, nations, and other things that set the PC Continent apart from Gamindustri.

Neither me nor Panzer_Bros have much in the way of professional writing, but I hope you enjoy our very first fanfic.

Oh, and disclaimer: this story and its sequels take place during _Megadimension Neptunia VII_. If you haven't played it or know the game's story, things might get a little confusing. Also, expect some spoilers if you haven't reached the ending. And as for combat, it'll be based off of the _Neptunia_ anime.


	2. Chapter 1: Rat Raid

**Chapter 1: The Rat Raid**

Morning, the sun glided over rolling hills behind a huge metal jungle. This was Conderica: a city filled to the brim with technology and constant movement. Vehicles slowly trundled through the roads huddling against the skyscrapers that towered far into the sky. Between these huge metal blocks, factories littered the city all building and producing many objects. No smoke poured from chimneys.

Yet, toward the outskirts of this colossal steel forest, a thick strip of smaller buildings split central Conderica to the vast expanse of fields beyond. Here, not much occurred; few vehicles travelled here and there but nothing compared to the sea of steel only a few miles down the road. On one such street, close to the very edge of city limits, a building stood just like the rest. Except for a few alterations, most would pass by without batting an eyelid. Only in the building's: extended width, adverts glued to the windows and a dozen or so people visiting the complex some could tell this building was different to the rest. Above the dark orange door, a banner stretched out above stating "The Pipe Dream" in white over a dark blue.

Above the main store, a light flickered between curtains still shut in the full light of late morning. Inside, a room filled with mess hid in darkness. Suddenly, the curtains were swept side allowing light to flood in like rapids. An alarm rang loudly as it shook violently. Between the alarm bell and the curtains, light shone onto a bed (a large one at that). Its covers were decorated in red circles with lines coming to the centre of each; all upon a deep blue background. The lump at the centre slowly shuffled and moved towards the top of the bed. Covers were thrown back into a screwed up pile. The figure stretched their arms. This was Bell, in her orange pyjamas from head to toe. Her brown hair was scattered all over the place; typical "bed hair" for her. However, she could quickly wrap it into a single ponytail with ease. Bell leapt out of bed and right into a large wooden wardrobe. She emerged after some time with hats flying out. They landed all over the place. From the unmade bed, to the sheets of paper littering the floor, hats of many shapes and sizes can be covered them all. She wore whatever she found; a simple T-shirt and some trousers to wear. These were decent enough to be seen in public though still orange. Gently, she placed a set of glasses on.

"... I hate Mondays," Bell sighed. For a has-been Dev like her, this was just another ordinary boring day.

Bell headed downstairs to her "work place". Once she got to the bottom, a large machine (that hung from the ceiling) met her, stationed behind the register.

"Good morning Bell," the machine spoke in a monotone female voice, "The time is approximately… Well, let us say that if you were in my place, you would have already been laid off from work due to showing up late."

"Good morning to you too Adjunct… How's business?" Bell replied with a yawn, while making a cup of coffee behind the counter.

"Yesterday's sales of games were 14% lower than the previous day's. Sale of miscellaneous merchandise has dropped by 11%. Approximately 23 customers have conducted business yesterday, approximately 5% lower than the day before that. All together, overall sales is considerably lower than last month's. Statistically, 78% of my statements are pure conjecture and have no basis in reality," replied Adjunct while grabbing and placing cardboard boxes around the counter area or to the long shelves behind. Bell almost forgot that Adjunct learned sarcasm and an odd sense of humor after months of dealing with customers.

Bell poured boiling water into a cup, stirring it in with a small spoon before replying with: "Those were words… Still, what could cause a loss so quickly?"

She sips slightly from her coffee before adding some milk into it.

What stretched out beside them, was the store Bell ran. Splashes of games met all who entered with welcoming arms. Merchandise spread as far as the eye could see. Everything from: first person shooters and strategy, to old classics and last years' games on offer. Behind these, a line of old styled arcade machines still in their prime. A handful of early risers were playing them, inserting a few credits every turn. It was just another normal day at "The Pipe Dream".

"Regular customer #142 - whom you affectionately refer to as "Cog" - is here waiting for you outside. Did I mention that I must express pity to whoever named her?"

Bell almost choked on her coffee. Cog was outside waiting for her today? She really hadn't been expecting visitors at this time, let alone someone whom she knew for a long time. Ignoring Adjunct's snarky comment, she set aside her cup and briskly walked out the front door and opened it.

There she was: a head shorter than Bell, with golden hair tied up in twin pigtails. She wore a simple T-shirt and a worn-out looking pair of overalls that had an assortment of tools and wrenches hanging from belt loops and various pockets - an indication of her way of life out in the dry outback just outside Conderica. Despite how radically different her appearance was from Bell's, Cog was a Dev just like her - and an early friend of Bell back when both were mere prospective Devs. Cog's eyes lit up once she heard the door open and saw Bell standing at the entrance.

"Hey Belly!" Cog greeted enthusiastically. Bell cringed slightly upon hearing her nickname. "J-just call me by my actual name. You don't have to rub it in..." ' _Of all the nicknames I get…'_ Bell thought to herself. "Anyways, sorry to keep you waiting." Bell stepped aside to let Cog into the store where she met Adjunct at the side of the entrance.

"Howdy, Addie! How you doin'?" said Cog in the same enthusiastic way she greeted Bell. Adjunct merely glanced at her with its single eye and replied, "Salutations to you too, oversized infant." Cog disposition immediately turned sour as she went on the defensive. "Aw, shucks! What was that for?! I'm clearly older than that, ya know!" The commotion was loud enough for the few early customers to peer over at the register to see what was going on.

"Your vertical elevation immediately calls that claim into question, your lack of fluency with the official spoken language suggests a lack of mental development, and the apparent lack of growth in your chest area all indicate your adolescence. The last part I wasn't even testing you for," Adjunct quipped. Even without emotion or liviness in her voice, Adjunct's response was thick with mockery.

Barely turning away from Adjunct, Cog's eyes shifted their glare at Bell who stood at the side during the exchange. Bell shrugged and raise her hands at her sides in appeasement. "Not my fault it's met plenty of… weird customers. It just learned to be like that on it's own," Bell said apologetically. Leaving out an exasperated sigh, Cog left her head and arms limp in conceded defeat before walking further into the store with Bell in tow. Heading up the stairs out of Adjunct's hearing range, Cog turned and muttered to Bell "That bot o' yours is a real claptrap, Bell."

Bell could only let out an embarrassed smile. Having a friend come over was a rare, but pleasant, moment. It almost reminded her of the old days...

* * *

The metropolitan area in Conderica was always loud with the cacophony of traffic and pedestrians. Animated adverts danced on a loop, streaking with an assortment of colors that the LED signs and billboards afforded. Near sundown, the urban city was brighter than daytime and the noise was always the same. Both sight and hearing were always busy taking in the life that was a city.

' _No wonder I prefer to live in the outskirts...'_ mused Bell as the Dev duo walked on the paved sidewalk. It was afternoon by the time they both arrived at the inner city to find some good restaurant for lunch. The whole gig was Cog's idea, as she came to hang out with Bell. Bell would've much preferred to stay inside and subsist on microwavable dinners and instant noodles she had but after Cog promised to pay for the two of them, Bell reluctantly agreed to go out. And about an hour and a half later, here they were, at the dense part of the city surrounded by sound and lights past noon. Bell wondered if they could just find a fast food joint if it meant they would at least find _something_ to eat. They passed by innumerable pedestrians, convoys, advertisements, and shops like some kind of conveyor belt of boredom. _'At least Cog seems to be enjoying herself'_ thought Bell as she buried her hands in the jacket's pockets and made a quick glance at Cog who walked alongside her, taking in the bright lights as if they all fascinated her. On some occasions, Cog would cheerfully point out any store that seemed to catch her whims:

"Hey hey Bell! Would ya look at that! An ad for _Panzer Planet_! I ain't heard much about that game for weeks!"

" _Four Goddesses Online_? Don't think I heard much about that game. Don't have much an idea about what it's about but I guess it's popular enough..."

"Ugh. Was that meant to be an ad for the Four Squares Union groupie? Those fellas need a life. It's always 'Workers' rights this', 'accessibility that'... Do you ever get bored with that stuff?"

"Hey hey, Bell! Look over yonder!"

Bell unenthusiastically looked at what could possibly attract Cog's attention with half-focused eyes until she realized what she was looking at. Directly ahead of them was a neon sign of a busy diner. Cog quickened her pace from a walk to a merry jog, trying to motion for Bell to follow suit. "I go to this place plenty of times! They serve stuff like barbequed steak, it's real rockin' stuff!" exclaimed Cog as though she herself was one of those bright advertisements that tried to convince you to use their produces. Smirking slightly at the prospect of finally arriving at their destination, Bell pat her hands on Cog's shoulders and steered her in. "Oh good. But you're still paying."

It turns out Cog wasn't exaggerating - the selection of well-roasted beef and pork exceeded Bell's expectations. _'Of course, if the chefs didn't make it a tradition to drown this thing in fat and sauce. Feels like the meat isn't even the main course.'_ Bell narrowed her eyes looking at what would best be described as brown sludge in the shape of of a steak. She swabbed the abundant sauce with her fork, trying to thin the layer like ointment. A stifled chuckle was heard across the table.

"C'mon Bell, a pint of ol' sauce ain't gonna kill ya," teased Cog who was already halfway done with her portion, which was substantially larger than what Bell ordered, with a two different side dishes.

Bell scoffed. "Yeah, but I was _kind of_ expecting a plate of steak with sauce, not the other way around." Bell thinned out the sauce layer even more as she spoke. "Besides, do you realize how much chemicals and other stuff they pumped into these things?"

Cog sliced off another portion of the sautéed meat before stuffing it into her mouth before a coy idea sprung up. "Oh, don't you worry, Belly, I'm sure ya won't gain any mo' weight just 'cause of the sauce." The remark left Bell thunderstruck as her mind comprehended it. Once the implications set in, Bell's face twinged with annoyance. But she wasn't about to let Cog get away with it.

"Well, you're one to talk, _Coggie_. Your underdevelopment is so obvious even a robot had to point it out."

Cog spat out the soda she was drinking and jumped up out of her seat, cheeks flushed red. "Oh no you did not just go there, Belly!"

Bell stood up with an aura of competition, determined to have what little fun she can have. "Coggie!"

"Belly!"

"Coggie!"

Neither of them seemed to notice the waitress who stood at the sidelines, reluctant to become a casualty of this little spat.

Most importantly, none of them seemed to notice a certain raven-haired girl lurking within the shadows of Conderica's alleyways and side passages, on a self-appointed virtuous quest to look for someone… or something.

* * *

As the sun began to set low, Bell and Cog walked along the street to hitch a ride back home at the nearby transit station. After being asked to leave and Cog picking up the tab (in that order), Bell let out a yawn and peered over to Cog who was still huffy about what happened. Granted, both were pulling each others' leashes, but Bell pondered if maybe things got a little heated. Deciding to break the ice, Bell exhaled and started to speak.

"... Hey Cog? You know I didn't really mean anything I said, right?" For once in a long time, Bell felt apprehension. Sequestering oneself to a lonely life, away from most human contact almost made Bell forget what it was like to care about other people's' opinions. Retail service would do wonders to make one detached to all sorts of people. But Cog wasn't just any ordinary person, Dev status notwithstanding. Bell knew her for almost as long as she could remember, back when she started to make a name for herself, back when she used to make games that stood the test of time.

Above the din of a passing trucks and cars, the brief silence that hung between them was the most deafening. With a huff, Cog turned to face Bell with the same sullen face she had and then…

Cog's hands snapped up to Bell's cheeks in pincer grips and started pulling hard.

"Owowowowowowow...!" groaned Bell inarticulately as her hands scrambled to free her cheeks from Cog's pinches. But almost immediately when it began, she let go. Massaging the sides of her face, Bell saw that what was once Cog's grumpy face was replaced with small smile and a smug presentation. "There," said Cog. "Now we're even." Bell could only grimace in response. At least, they were back to how things were before, or at least when -

 _*Cli-Clang!*_

Bell and Cog began to turn to the direction of the sound which seemed to be coming from the nearby alleyway. The sound of something metallic and hollow falling over. For a split second, Bell could've sworn she saw something scurry just out of her view in the shadows. "Did you see something just now?" Bell asked.

"See what?" Cog responded, with a mixture of skepticism and tension in her voice. But Bell was sure she wasn't imagining things. "...Could've sworn I saw something."

"Maybe you shoulda get your eyes checked," joked Cog. Ignoring that retort, Bell sighed and tried to come up with a number of possible explanations. Judging by the sound of what seemed like a trash bin falling over, _something_ had to do it and it seemed as though whatever it was, it was in a hurry.

"Hey," Cog gently nudged Bell with her elbow. "I dare you to go see what it is." Bell rolled her eyes at this dare. "Suuuure. I'll go down this dark and completely not harmless-looking alleyway just to satisfy your dare like a true scientist on drugs." Either way, there was really only one way to find out what went on. Bell stepped into the shadowy alley, filthy with littered bags and boxes, cautious to not step on any pebble or strewn debris that could betray her presence to whatever was in there.

Halfway through, Bell heard what sounded like… hushed chatter? Scampering steps? Then the sounds disappeared. Her instincts told her that something was wrong and to turn around but Bell tip-toed a little bit further, hoping that her suspicions weren't correct. Near the end of the dark alleyway, Bell spotted some sort small box-like parcel on the ground, partially buried under the contents of an overturned trash can.

Not hearing any other noise, Bell walked up to the package and knelt down. She grabbed the parcel and pulled it from the pile. The package had some dirt smudges, likely from being buried under the trash contents. Bell examined the parcel, weighing it in her hands and turning it around. There was a conspicuous absence of stamps or package details; just a blank face of brown cardboard. Finally, Bell brought the parcel up to her ears and gave it a shake. A noise echoed from the parcel, a sound Bell knew all too well… Games!

Bell tore the top open and peeked inside. Filled to the brim with USBs and CDs labelled with game names in biro. These games in their actual cases wouldn't look out of place in "The Pipe Dream". However, this one in particular was filled with only RPGs. She picked a few up, carefully looking at each before putting them back. They weren't in the best of conditions, but considering that they weren't in the average plastic packaging meant that everyone would undoubtedly want to get their hands on these if it meant saving every credit. ' _No wonder why less people are visiting to buy these games when these_ _can be bought for free_ _!'_ Bell thought to herself.

"Psst! Hey, watcha got there?" Bell heard a whisper that was a _little_ too close to her ear. Letting out a small surprised yelp, she turned around and found herself face-to-face with Cog who was leaning over, trying to see the parcel's contents. Realizing who she was, Bell let out a relaxing exhale. "Dummy! For a moment, I thought you were someone else!" Cog let out a stifled chuckle. "Ooh, you thought it was someone else, but it was _me_ , Cog!" she replied in an overly dramatic voice while pointing to herself with her thumb.

Bell could only give her a look of incredulity. "You need to lay off those comic books or graphic novels or whatever..." Bell muttered under her breath before turning back to the open parcel whose contents lay before her. Cog peered over Bell's shoulders to see what she found, before she recognized one of them. "Well whaddya know? That's 'Magical Mages M'; don't know much about what it's about but I've heard of it. And is that 'Galaxy Aftermath'? What're those games doin' here?"

' _Your questions are as good as mine...'_ Bell pondered about the parcel's purpose and its contents. A box filled with recognizable titles being sold for dirt cheap. Of course her business wouldn't be doing so well -

… Wait. Her business in a steady but noticeable decline. A random box containing dirt cheap games. Of course "The Pipe Dream" wasn't doing well enough recently: it's because someone is distributing these merchandise for far cheaper prices. But who is this someone? That trash can had to have been knocked over by some -

"And what do we have here, chu?" a nasally voice announced behind them. Bell immediately shut the parcel lid and both whipped around to find a heart-tailed gold rat standing in one of the side passages, with a pair of identical rats flanking it albeit colored purple. "Looking though our things, seems like curiosity is gonna kill a couple of kitties, chu!" spoke the gold-colored rat, who appeared to be the leader. Bell and Cog slowly stood up to face them, unafraid of the rats who honestly looked more adorable than intimidating.

Bell held the open parcel in her hands out in front. "So you're the ones who dropped this, huh?"

"That's right!" responded the gold rat. The rats took a small step forward, with clear malevolent intentions. "Hand that over and we'll think about letting you go, chu!"

"Fat chance!" spat Cog, who had her arms folded in clear defiance to the rats. Bell stepped forward to support Cog, her ire increasing. "And I take it that you're the ones giving away pirated games to undercut _MY_ business? You think you can pull off that crap and get away with it?"

The rats were undeterred, seemingly confident in themselves. "Looks like asking nicely won't cut it! Let's get 'em, chu!" The three rats scampered forward on all fours towards the two Devs. Sensing the attack, Bell secured the parcel with her left hand and with her right hand -

The gold rat who was in the lead suddenly found himself hurled to the side, impacting the garbage bin. The leader rat's underlings paused in the face of the unexpected situation. In Bell's right hand a crowbar had materialized, having been swung to strike the gold rat to the side.

"E-e-eh what?!" squeaked the rats and before they had a chance to contemplate their next action, Bell's crowbar suddenly found itself embedded in the head of one of the rats, sending him careening down the alleyway. The last rat, having realized how outmatched he was in the face of an armed Dev, fled in the direction in which he came from, squeaking along the way until he turned and ran out of sight.

An exhale escaped Bell's lips before she twirled the crowbar once. "I think that takes care of it," she said when she assessed that the threat was no more. She started to turn around until she heard what sounded like a soft rainfall that was gathering strength. The sound of footsteps - and more rats - headed their way. In the same direction that the surviving rat fled to came a crowd of more purple rats, all indistinguishable from another. And like before, a single golden rat seemed to be the head of the mob-like rodent body. Bell heard a similar sound behind her and turned to see a similar-sized mob coming in from other passageways, flanking both her and Cog and threatening to cut off their escape routes.

"We got 'em now, chu!" the rat legion squeaked. Rolling her eyes, Bell couldn't believe their bad luck. _'Freaking Murphy's Law...'_ she thought with grimace as she readied herself for more battle, casually adjusting her grip on her crowbar. "Well, the more the merrier, eh?" Cog was facing the second group of rats that had appeared behind them. "Can't let you have all the fun, Bell!" Cog held out her right hand and a bulky, oversized machine gun about as big as her materialized. She grasped the gun and swung it in the rats' direction, ready for battle. "Let's dance!"

' _This is going to be a busy day'_ Bell thought with inner exasperation before the rats charged at the two Devs.

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Dev *****  
A Dev (or "DevinE Vanguard") is a notable individual that resides in the PC Continent. Devs are personifications of PC game companies (or companies that have a strong PC culture or shaped PC gaming history). As their official name may suggest, Devs are guardians of the PC Continent; unlike CPUs of Gamindustri, Devs are not rulers of nations and they are not as recognizable by the inhabitants. If anything, Devs could also be compared to Gamindustri's Gold Third as both are game companies rather than consoles. But like CPUs or Gold Third, Devs possess great power and potential as befitting of their status, unless they are Prospective Devs who have yet to make their name in PC Continent society as they have yet to acquire enough recognition for their works.

Devs commonly make their living by accepting contracts or employment. Rarely, a Dev may be able to make a living by seeking other professions or self-employment, though they do exist.  
***** End of Entry *****

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Conderica *****  
Conderica is a PC nation that lies on the north-west region of the mainland. Out of the other nations, Conderica possesses strong industrial and economic capabilities thanks to its factories, markets for international commerce, and possessing the most of the continents wealthy elite. Conderica's capital and a majority of its population is settled close to the coast with flat grassland plains covering most of the nation. To the north are mountains, generally covered by snow in the winter months.

The Conderica Corlast resembles a rectangular multiple-story structure, colored white and made mostly out of marble on the outside. Inside, Conderica's Corlast has rooms and facilities for where the nation's current leader and administration reside, as well as a large central chamber where government officials can convene to discuss and vote on important matters in a democratic fashion.  
***** End of Entry *****


	3. Chapter 2: Worlds Collide

**Chapter 2: Worlds Collide**

Cog opened fire with a single burst. She then fired, another followed by another. The alleyways reverberated with the loud echoes of automatic gunfire from Cog's machine gun, accompanied by bullets whistling as they ripped through the air. Rats in the way of the gunfire flew backwards into one and another. Many fell to the ground with ease, but they just kept coming, from all angles.

"Bell!" called Cog over the hail of bullets, "keep 'em occupied at close range! Hit 'em hard with your crowbar like nothing else!"

Bell nodded in reply, grasping her crowbar tightly, and proceeded to whack any rat close to her, getting multiple at once. Each struck rat was sent flying into the surrounding walls with a "Chu!" Still, it was not enough. Both of them kept fighting against the horde of rats that just kept coming. Even smashing the rats out of the way with Cog's gun did little to stem the flow. Back to back they went, constantly changing their places to hit yet more rats. All of this flowed majestically as both Cog and Bell: stepped around each other to use their weapons, leant on each other to make a rat or two go flying and even giving another a boost to perform special moves between them.

"Just like the good 'ol days, yeah?" Cog called over just after a spray of bullets rushed past Bell beside her ear, "back when you were kickin' ass and takin' names!" Bell dodged a tackle from one of the purple rats before giving him a swift curbstomp. "Uh, remind me, when did that happen?"

Cog's bulky machine gun began making clicking sounds and immediately one of the rats latched on to the gun in his attempt to get to her. Instinctively, Cog swung her gun and the rat against the nearby wall, knocking the rat unconscious. "Dammit, ya forgot or somethin'?! Ya know, back when you weren't busy sittin' on your ass in your abode?!"

Bell whacked another rat aside and elbowed another that immediately followed. "... Oh that. I, uh, was just testing your memory."

"CHU!" squealed a rat as its face was jabbed by a smoking-hot gun barrel. "...Smartass," scoffed Cog. The rat's numbers were dwindling, but so were the Devs' strength. The gold colored rat stayed back, directing his underlings and motivating them the survivors back into the fight. The rats were beginning to regain their courage now that Cog's machine gun was dry and soon the surviving rats began to approach Bell and Cog.

"We're running outta options!" spoke Bell between deep breaths, "Only if another was here… another pair of hands…" A brilliant flash of streaking light appeared for a split second. Bell blinked; did she see something weird just now? "Chuuu…!" squeaked the gold rat as it slowly collapsed. Hearing their leader's death cry, the purple rats halted in their tracks, frantically looking around as to what caused their leaders demise. "Chu, where did that come from, chu?!" demanded one of the rat minions before he too fell from the slash of white light. The surviving rats were in complete confusion, with their command decapitated and one of their own dropping like a sack of potatoes out of nowhere.

Suddenly, a shadow plunged down right next to Bell and Cog. As they were just as confused as the rats as to why they suddenly started dying, both started freaking out at the sudden presence of an interloper. "MOTHER OF TEAT-SUCKIN' SHIT-STICK!" screamed Cog as she flailed her arms wildly in shock.

But then the shadow stood up and revealed herself to be a dark-haired girl wearing an equally dark jacket that was unbuttoned to reveal a white corset underneath. On her back were a pair of wing-like apparatus and a she had a stylish red hairpiece on her bangs. A lot of her outfit seemed quite out-of-place even by PC Continent standards. In her hands was a long, thin, katana and a handgun. Her deep blue eyes struck a piercing glare at all the rats. Everyone - rats, Bell, and Cog - simply stared at the newcomer before one of the rats had a moment of revelation.

"EEK! Someone new that looks dangerous, chu!" squeaked one of the rats who tried to bolt out of the immediate vicinity. The newcomer raised her sword towards the rat and he promptly turned to cinders as a wall of flame erupted in the alleyway. Recognizing a moment of opportunity, Bell dashed to the nearest group of rats and promptly began to bash them with her crowbar. With one of the escape routes cut off thanks to the stranger's impressive power and faced with a sudden counterattack by Bell, the rats began to waver and flee however they could.

"Defeat evil!" whispered the stranger who darted to nearest rat and sliced him with her katana before gunning down more rats with her gun with expert precision. Bell clobbered more rats near her with a resounding _clang_ with each hit. Cog saw a contingent of rats take off in the same alleyway that they came through earlier. Determined to dish out some more damage on the vermin, her machine gun disappeared and instead was replaced by a fistful of black powder bombs and grenades. "Open up an' say 'hi' you suckers!" she yelled out before priming and throwing all of them towards the surviving rats. The ensuing explosion engulfed all of the fleeing rats and sent deafening shockwaves down along the alley. The dust cloud blanketed everything and when it slowly cleared, it was apparent that Bell, Cog, and the newcomer were all that remained standing.

The stranger made a quick sweeping glance around her before turning to Bell and Cog. "My name is Nitroplus. Pleasure to meet you." The girl spoke quietly which seemed to befit her appearance.

"Uh..." Both Bell and Cog looked at each other for a second. ' _... This isn't some kind of trick, is it? But she just helped us out there,'_ thought Bell. Clearing her throat, Bell replied "Um, thanks for the assist. But look: for the record, we were just doing our own thing which was, uh..." Bell glanced down at the parcel she held in her left hand, slightly amazed that it was still there during the whole melee. Nitroplus saw the package in Bell's hand and recognized it. "That thing you have, I know what it is and what's in it."

"This? We found this on the ground before we got mobbed by those rats," Bell said, relaxing now that they were in the company of someone who didn't make it their life's mission to send her to a world of pain. Then her eyes widened a bit when she realized something. "... So wait. You know something about the rats?"

"That's correct, meat! Those rats are up to no good!" Bell and Cog looked past Nitroplus to see the source of the new voice: a floating piece of thin sliced meat with eyes and a smiley face that looked like something straight out of some children's comic book. In fact, the very "thing's" existence wouldn't look out of place in any comic book, so to witness something this bizarre left Bell and Cog dumbfounded; their faces frozen with an expression that screamed "Dafuq?".

Nitroplus seemed to take no notice. "This is Raw Meat, my partner," she said, gesturing to the talking meat slab. "We both came from Cape Aspiration looking to instill justice in all who commit evil. The good news is, it seems like I arrived just in time to help you." The two Devs were still in shock about the fact that something that Raw Meat could exist. Gradually, it became clear that the sound of police sirens were becoming louder. Bell managed to snap out of it, realizing that they should all make themselves scarce to avoid making a scene. She looked around, trying to figure out how to make their escape. But everywhere she looked, there were only alleyways: narrow passages where they could easily get caught by any law enforcement or witnesses.

"Psst! Hey, you!" A clear whisper called out. Everyone turned to the source and found themselves staring at a domino mask-wearing girl who was poking her head out of a hidden trapdoor on a wall next to a couple of trash bins. "What the?" questioned Cog.

"C'mon c'mon! Get in before anyone sees you!" ushered the masked girl. Bell, Cog, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat went through the trapdoor before the girl closed it shut behind her. Inside, a single incandescent light revealed that they were inside a narrow passageway, presumably inside a brick wall of one of the major buildings. The masked stranger locked the entrance and turned towards everyone else, allowing them to take a closer look. Other than the domino mask she wore, the girl had straight blonde hair with bright gold eyes that shone past the mask.

"Everything alright? I heard plenty of loud sounds out there so I was kinda curious as to what was going on. I could swear I heard _something_ blow up!" the girl quickly said with a touch of a cheery teenage accent. "Oh! Name's, uh… just call me JR. Everyone calls me that." JR reached out her hand to everyone else. Bell looked at the outstretched hand before shaking it reluctantly. "Name's Bell. The shorty here is my friend Cog," (Bell received a quick elbowing upon mentioning Cog.) "And, uh, these two just happened to be passing through." Bell turned towards Nitroplus and her meaty companion.

JR leaned over and waved at them. "... A pleasure to meet you too, JR," replied Nitroplus who was slightly perplexed at the overt friendliness she was exhibiting. "Pleasure to meat you too, meat!" spoke Raw Meat.

With formalities taken care of, Cog asked the first question that was on everyone's minds. "So, ah, where're we?"

"Glad you asked that! Follow me and I'll fill in you on the details," JR cheerfully replied, giving Cog the pointy finger and winking. She turned and went down the narrow corridor with everyone following suit. Leaving the muffled sounds of the outside world behind them, the group found themselves descending a narrow staircase with everyone but JR taking care to watch their step in the dim indoor lighting. At the bottom of the stairs was a door and JR knocked on it.

A muffled voice came from behind the door. "I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I?"

"The letter E," answered JR without a moment's hesitation. Clicks were heard as the door was unlocked and it swung open. JR went in and everyone else followed her in.

* * *

"Hey! You never said anything about guests!" an angry voice announced. As the first one through the door to follow JR, Bell turned to see another masked girl, but one with curly red hair with a slender blonde streak with red eyes that matched her temperament. Cog, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat went through the door before it was shut and locked by JR. "Oh, these guys? These were the ones I met when I went up to check outside."

The redhead looked only more irritable. "So why didn't you _say_ you were bringing anyone? You can't just bring anyone you just met here!" JR made the face of one in deep thought before smiling. "I just forgot, sis."

Nitroplus looked at JR inquisitively. "Are you two sisters?"

"Yep!" JR replied in a chipper manner. "Call her JG. I'm the responsible older sister and she's the feisty younger one." JR wrapped her arm over JG's shoulders and cracked a wide grin. In contrast, JG was slouching from embarrassment, her face reddening until it was practically the same color as her hair. With JG's temper subdued, the "guests" had the chance to see what sort of room they were in.

The room they were in appeared to be some kind of well-lit basement, with concrete walls, floor, and ceiling. Long tables were lined up against the walls and arranged in the open in orderly lines. Bell noticed how every table was embellished with games and gaming-related merchandise of all shapes and sizes, with signs advertising their prices and special offers. There were several other masked girls standing next to some of the tables; every pair of eyes looking at them thanks to the commotion caused by their arrival and JG's outbursts.

Bell couldn't believe where they actually were. "Is this…?"

"You guessed it: you're in The Bumble Club!" proclaimed JR, having let go of her younger sister. "The one and only place where you can get yourself some sweet deals where they might not exist in other stores! We may be underground, but our services are above expectation! And it happens that JG and I run the place!" JR walked up to Bell and Cog. "And I never thought I could have two Devs here in my store today, especially you Bell!"

Bell was taken aback. "Y-you knew who we were?" JR nodded. "'Course! I know a Dev when I see one, especially you, Bell! My place's been selling your games for quite a while and even I've played them, especially 'Counteraction: Global Assault'!" JR punctuated the last statement by hopping right up in front of Bell, who leaned her head back a little bit in response to the slight invasion of personal space.

"Hey hey! Whadda 'bout me?" complained Cog who stood by the side, feeling a little hurt by the downplayed recognition she received from JR. JR turned to look at Cog who glowered at her with arms out to her side.

"... Oh yes, and Cog here as well."

"That's a loada bull!" Cog shouted, flailing her arms in the air.

"So you two are Devs?" Nitroplus made her presence apparent with her question. "That explains how the two of you stood against those rats for that long with the power you had, especially you, Cog." Cog beamed at the appreciation she finally received.

JG finally recovered from the cuddling she got from her older sister and tapped Nitroplus on her shoulder. "And who're you and… that meat supposed to be?" JR gave Nitroplus her full attention with an expression of realization. "That's right! I forgot to ask your name."

"My name is Nitroplus," she said while lightly bowing her head, an action that was awkwardly imitated by the two sisters. "And I'm Raw Meat! It's a pleasure to meat you, meat!" chirped her partner who mimicked Nitroplus's action (however well a floating strip of meat could do). Nitroplus continued with her introduction. "We both came from Cape Aspiration on a quest to quell evil wherever it might lurk." JR and JG nodded as they listened to Nitroplus's introduction. "And may I ask why you've gone out of your way to shelter us?" asked Nitroplus.

JR casually waved her hand. "Eh, nothing special. We may look like ne'er-do-wells being secretive and selling games at low prices, but you can be assured we're good-spirited folks!" She accentuated the last point with a proud pound on her chest. "Naturally, not helping out those in need would've been a crime on our part." Nitroplus's expression remained unchanged. "And how exactly is your business not a crime?" she asked inquisitively, her voice barely raised but betraying the slightest hint of accusation.

"Well, I'll tell you what!" said JG as she took a step closer, placing herself between Nitroplus and JG. Her defense came as passionate and fiery as her hair. "We - The Bumble Club - takes immense pride in our honest business dealings and customer service! Not once do we ever double-cross anyone who wants to get a good deal! We're not like those who pirate and give out games for free; I bet none of them any code of honor or decent service!"

Bell coughed lightly, bringing the attention to her and what she had to say. "Speaking of those who pirate games..." she began, while raising her left hand which still held the parcel.

* * *

"Wow! So that's what they were after!" exclaimed JR who opened the parcel, holding the various USBs and CDs in her hands. "So that's why there was so much going on outside. You guys were battling game pirates!" Bell put her hand on the back of her head, remembering all the trouble they just went through. "Yeah… pretty much."

JR scooped up the pirated contents and put them back into the parcel, pondering about something. "Hm. And you said it belonged to a bunch of rats?"

"Yeah." replied Bell. JR closed the parcel lid before speaking her thoughts. "I think I know who would do something like this."

Cog's eyes widened. "Really? Ya know the name of that group dealin' in this?"

"Not quite," answered JR. "I know what they do and I think Nitro and her meaty friend knows as well. Why don't I let them share what they know first?" Everyone turned to Nitroplus and Raw Meat, the former who took a second to collect her thoughts before speaking. "The rats Bell and Cog encountered in the alleys were responsible for the cracking and distribution of games. I first heard of them from rumors back when I was in Cape Aspiration, putting down petty crimes. Finding a reliable source was troublesome but one that I did find lead me here to Conderica's capital."

Once she finished, Raw Meat spoke up. "She and I partnered up when she first began her quest for justice, meat! I've helped her sniff out all sorts of misdeeds!"

JR nodded. "True, the rats are running a major piracy operation, but the rats you, uh, exterminated there weren't all of them. Granted, you very likely wiped out their cell here in the city but they've got more bases elsewhere." She pulled out her phone and held its screen upward, emitting a 2D holographic display of the PC Continent. "The rats you defeated weren't all that were in Conderica." The map zoomed in on the main metropolis of Conderica before the display panned over to the nation's outskirts. "From what I know (how I know, it's a business secret so don't ask) the rats have another base of sorts to the north, somewhere near the mountains."

Nitroplus narrowed her eyes upon hearing the intel. "Really? It seems that this isn't over yet."

JR handed the package of pirated games over to JG who left the room through a different entrance. "I'll take the pirated games and get rid of them. Pirates like them give honest folks like us a bad name. While I'd be willing to lend Nitro and Meaty a hand, I got a business to look after. What about you guys?" she asked the two Devs.

"... Well..." Bell said while scratching her head. "I really wasn't expecting to play exterminator after lunch and I just want go home already, this day's been busy enough already," she said with a yawn punctuating the end of her statement. "What about you, Cog?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Cog replied "Eh, I don't have anythin' better to do, but I'm with Bell: I'm beat."

Raw Meat's smile never faded, but his voice carried disappointment. "Huh? You meats don't want to join us? We could use extra pair of meaty hands." Bell casually waved her hand to disprove the misunderstanding. "No, I didn't say anything about _not_ joining you, it's just that..." her reply was interrupted by another yawn. "... that we're rather tired for today. Need to head home before we're late for dinner."

JR clapped her hands. "Oh, are you heading home now? I, um, might have to escort you guys out. Club policies and all that, so don't sweat it! Oh, by the way, would you like a Bumble Club membership?"

While JR was busy advertising her services to Bell, Cog turned to Nitroplus and Raw Meat. "So y'all gonna head out now or what?" Nitroplus momentarily gazed off in empty space before she made her reply. "If what JR said was true about there being more to the rats, then I would like to pursue them as soon as possible. Yet..." Her hand gestured to Bell and then to Cog. "Our chances of success would be greater if we had you and Bell alongside us."

Cog burrowed her frow in thought, trying to come up of something. She had a score to settle with the rats since they tried to harm her and Bell, but with there being more of those rats, who knows how far the rabbit hole goes? Besides, it's not like she and Bell had anything better to do…

Cog faced Nitroplus, with an idea in her head. "C'mon Nitry. Let's see if we can try convincing her..."

* * *

The two Devs trundled into the tram that would take them to the transit station close to The Pipe Dream. The downcast sun had turned the sky dark, with the world kept illuminated thanks to streetlamps. Yawning, Bell stepped into the tram and took the nearest available seat and Cog followed her. Bell sighed, leaning her head back to rest against the glass window and closed her eyes. ' _Can't wait to just fall on my bed...'_ she thought dreamily. The tram only had several other passengers but she could hear hushed whispers and conversations.

' _Of course...'_ Bell opened one of her eyes and looked to her side, where Nitroplus and Raw Meat were, making themselves comfortable as they could in the speeding tram.

Earlier, Bell reluctantly agreed to consider the opportunity to go after the rats but only because Cog, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and JR insisted. Cog also suggested that Nitroplus stay over at their place for the night after she was convinced to begin her quest tomorrow. ' _Not only did I have to fight off a bunch of rats, I have to play host to some weird girl and her personal meatloaf.'_

It seem that the appearance of Nitroplus and Raw Meat was the source of those whispered murmurs that the passengers were spreading. Tourists and visitors weren't unheard of in Conderica but only those who came from a different part of the PC Continent mainland barely elicited a response; a PC mainlander from one nation wasn't that different or special from a PC mainlander from another nation. But the folks of Cape Aspiration were different - perhaps _too_ different for many PC citizens. Because of how the Cape was situated between the two worlds of the PC Continent and Gamindustri, the nation adopted a culture that was a blend of both worlds. But in the minds of the native PC people who were the demographic majority, who knew what went on in the heads of Gamindustri people?

On the outside, Nitroplus didn't seem to mind the weird looks and gossip she was receiving. But on the inside, she couldn't help but feel that something was off. The several pairs of eyes staring at her put her in an uncomfortable state of alert; like the feeling one gets when a predator casts a long glance at their prey. Although they were faint, she could catch excerpts of what people were saying.

"... Who's she? She doesn't look like a native to me..."

"Why is she showing off her corset? Didn't anyone teach her some decency…?"

"... I don't like the vibe I'm getting from her… She looks weird."

"There's no way any normal person would dress like that… I bet she's trying too hard to be edgy."

"... Is that a floating piece of meat?! What the f…?"

She wasn't quite sure how to deal with this type of gossip. Back in Cape Aspiration, she was surrounded by those who understood her and those she understood. The bridge between worlds was the world she knew, but after catching a ferry ride to Conderica, it was like entering an alien world. The cultural norms she grew up with didn't apply here. Nitroplus started feeling restless until a familiar presence made itself known on her shoulder.

Raw Meat drew her face close to Nitroplus's ear and started whispering. "Don't worry so much about it, meat! Everyone is different: they see and live the world differently in their own ways. There's no true way of how to live and see in this world."

"Is that so?" whispered Nitroplus.

"Indeed, meat! Look at Belly and Coggie; they've meat you but they don't really judge your lifestyle, even though they live different lives. Meat, huh?"

Nitroplus couldn't help but feel some relief upon hearing that. Despite her appearance, Raw Meat displayed more wisdom than most humans she has met. What she said was true: until coming here, Nitroplus thought that life in Cape Aspiration was the way things were. But outside, there were other people who lived their own lives; perhaps some who also thought that life where they grew up was the same elsewhere. Differences were inevitable, there was no use in hiding them. She shouldn't be afraid with the way she looks and acts if it meant that she'll run into others who will look and act differently as well. Nitroplus couldn't help but smile a bit at the thought.

And from her seat, Bell couldn't help but crack a small smile as well after having witnessed and heard the whole thing.

* * *

The tram finally reached their destination and four individuals exited the station and walked. Night was already creeping in, accompanied by chirping crickets and the white-yellow spots of light that stood out from the darkness. They crossed a parking lot and walked to a store where the sign "The Pipe Dream" shone in neon lights. Bell and company entered the store which still had its lights on. She could see Adjunct who was no longer behind the register but was instead by the game isles, restocking the merchandise. Upon hearing the door open, Adjunct turned to face the newcomers, its singular eye adjusting focus before it recognized Bell. Although hanging from the ceiling, it had an extensive system of rails that enabled Adjunct to move around and it proceeded to drive itself to greet her.

"Good evening Bell. I presume Cog's lunch plan did not call for you to be this late?" Adjunct turned to examine Nitroplus and Raw Meat. "...Nor did it involve the two of you to be acquainted by another human and levitating strip of flesh?" Bell simply walked past Adjunct, exhaustion spelled across her face. "The day was just… abnormal. That's all."

Adjunct simply looked on as Cog, Nitroplus and Raw Meat followed Bell upstairs. It was unsure what Bell meant by her response, and after they left out view, Adjunct decided to resume its original duties.

Once upstairs, Bell flicked on the light switch and walked in. Her abode was the same as it was when she and Cog left to go to the city, but Bell felt as though it was ages since she was last here. She opened a closet door and pulled out an extra pair of blankets. "I, um, don't get many visitors up here," she confessed somewhat awkwardly. "Cog, you can take these blankets and sleep somewhere on the floor and Nitroplus can sleep on the couch. As for the meat..."

"No worries meat! I can take care of myself!"

Bell shrugged her shoulders, clearly not going to disprove how a slab of meat could rest or sleep (if it even could, and if so, she might not want to know the details). After passing the bundle of blankets to Cog, Bell went to her kitchen and opened the fridge. She pulled out a trio of small colorful cardboard containers and set them on the counter. "Tonight's dinner is going to be microwavable casserole. Help yourself to any drinks in the fridge."

Cog chuckled lightly, remembering how often Bell would subsist on those things. Nitroplus took a seat on the floor by the short table in the middle of what she identified as the living room. She looked around: besides a few doors that led elsewhere, a countertop separated the kitchen from the living room where Bell was busy stuffing the microwave with their dinner. There were a couple windows that faced opposite directions, and from where she was sitting, there was a TV that was directly across from the dull blue stuffy couch that Bell mentioned earlier; the table that Nitroplus was sitting next to was right between the TV and the couch.

A particular thing that caught her eye was a workbench. A computer and a lamp was resting on its surface and next to the bench, was a cardboard box that was seemingly filled with metal parts and scrap. Hanging on the wall above the bench was what appeared to be design blueprints and notes scribbled with things Nitroplus could read but not understand.

" _BEEP BEEP!"_

Nitroplus heard the microwave announcing its completed task loudly. Bell pulled out the plastic plates that were steaming and carried them and a few utensils to the living room where Nitroplus and now Cog sat waiting. Setting them down in front of everyone, Bell immediately sat down and dining on her meal. Cog wordlessly followed suit and Nitroplus quickly expressed her thanks before digging in. Bell grabbed a TV remote and tuned in to the news channel, filling the room with sounds of news commentary.

"... and in other news, the recent crime that occurred in Conderica alleys has yet to be solved, as all police has found were traces of battle: bullet holes, scorch marks, and bodies of rats..."

Minutes passed, and Nitroplus felt that she needed to get something off of her chest, to get rid of something that needs to be addressed before the chance slips away. Setting her utensil down, she asked, "Earlier, I had agreed to stay here as a guest for the night and after that, I'll begin my quest to put down the rats. But as for the two of you, you haven't made your decision."

Without skipping a beat, Bell answered while chewing on her piece. "I just don't feel like it." Cog did a double-take. "Seriously, Bell? We just busted our asses kickin' rat ass and that's your decision?"

"True, but that doesn't mean we have to go out looking for more rat ass to kick. We only did what we did because they attacked us; we were just defending ourselves. More importantly, we just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I disagree, meat." Raw Meat's response caught everyone by surprise. "While it may be true that you two were unfortunate enough to meat the rats, you were fortunate enough to meat Nitroplus and I! And you also had the luck to uncover a scheme that no one else might have found! You may have been in the wrong place, but perhaps you were the right person!"

"Being the right person doesn't change the fact that we were in the wrong place to begin with," scoffed Bell.

Cog could only be surprised by Raw Meat's words. "Uh… yeah, what she or it said. Besides, it's not like we got anything' better to do."

Nitroplus chimed in with her own response. "I saw the two of you - how you fought. There's no one else I know who has that kind of power. I've sworn to fight injustice wherever it may lurk. I do not wish to sound accusatory, but how can someone with powers like yours choose to ignore something like this?"

Bell could only cross her arms and mull over, frustrated by how everyone was pressing her in this ordeal. She tried to come up with a rational reason, but none came up. Simply stating that she didn't feel like it would never pass for an effective argument.

And yet, a part of her knew that they were right. The rats and their sizable piracy operations meant that they couldn't be ignored for long. In addition, Bell had to admit that as a Dev, she had no excuse to sit this out now that she's aware.

' _I'm a Dev...'_

"… _how can someone with powers like yours choose to ignore something like this?"_

" _Besides, it's not like we got anything' better to do."_

" _And I take it that you're the ones giving away pirated games to undercut MY business?"_

" _Just like the good 'ol days… back when you were kickin' ass and takin' names!"_

… _.._

Bell let out a long defeated sigh. "... Alright. You guys made your point. I'll tag along and help out."

Cog let out a whoop and a fist bump. "Hell yeah! The great an' almighty Belly is back in action!"

Bell shot Cog a death glare. "Cog..." she growled menacingly.

"'Belly'?" questioned Nitroplus. Now in an enthusiastic mood, Cog was about to answer Nitroplus's inquiry until she was karate-chopped on the head by Bell, knocking her out cold. Nitroplus could only stare at the odd scene before turning her confused gaze to Bell, who now dragged Cog's unconscious body to the couch. "... Long story. Wouldn't interest you," Bell replied sheepishly. "Besides, since you're unfamiliar with the land, I can probably help out. Maybe we'll run into familiar faces..."

For the second time today, a small smile crept on Nitroplus's face. The crusade for justice was beginning to come together…

Downstairs, Adjunct disengaged its auditory enhancement and began its duties of closing the store. Despite being a machine, it felt a strange sense of satisfaction for Bell.

* * *

Cog tightened the straps of her backpack after she double-checked all the supplies they would be bringing along. Bell stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, having apparently finished washing herself while Nitroplus cleaned her katana. Within the hour, they would all be leaving to catch a tram that would take them to northern Conderica, where JR said where more rats would be. Cog twiddled one of her twin pigtails, the prospect of the upcoming trip making her anxious.

Finally, Bell stepped out of her room, wearing an orange hoodie jacket and giving her glasses one last adjustment. "Alright, we ready to go?"

Bell, Cog, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat descended the stairs where Adjunct was awaiting them. "It appears that you are going on an indefinite trip. I would express my melancholy of your departure but thankfully I lack the software necessary to do so."

As she walked past, Bell pat her hand on Adjunct's chassis. "I'll be gone for quite some time, so look after the store for me, will you Adjunct?" Adjunct answered with an affirmation before sliding over behind the register, ready to begin another business day. Bell gave her pockets a quick pat to check to see if anything was amiss and then nodded to the rest. Opening the door, Adjunct gave her sendoff.

"Before you leave, I must congratulate you Bell: you have rediscovered the human concept called 'motivation to go outside'. Do note that I have no intentions of contacting local authorities if you happen to lose your way back."

Bell took a moment to comprehend Adjunct's words before she figured it out. Smiling, she replied "Well, that's reassuring." Stepping outside, the first stage of the PC Continent's adventure began.

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Cape Aspiration *****  
Island harbor city located on westernmost part of the PC Continent. Due to its close proximity to Gamindustri, Cape Aspiration is a major tourist hub and acts as a gateway to the PC Continent. Gamindustri citizens seeking immigration to PC Continent arrive at Cape Aspiration and undergo integration before becoming citizens. Once this is complete, they are free to settle in other nations but for the sake of convenience, the people of Gamindustri choose to simply live in and around Cape Aspiration. This, combined with the prominent tourism industry, results in the cape adopting a mixture of PC and Gamindustri cultures. However this does tend to make mainland PC citizens view the inhabitants of Cape Aspiration as outcasts and foreigners.

In addition to having the highest concentration of Gamindustri people and mixed cultures, Cape Aspiration tends to be the go-to place for both worlds to convene for international diplomacy but this happens very infrequently (the system is still in place). More often than not, the Cape serves as a middle ground between the PC Continent nations.

While its agriculture is nowhere as expanse as that of Calipolis (due to the Cape's island nature), the Cape is well-known for its peaches which they widely export throughout the world. The abundance and popularity of those peaches have contributed to Gamindustri citizens mispronouncing the PC Continent as "Peashy Continent", much to the chagrin of the indigenous populace who live there.

Cape Aspiration Corlast resembles a large white rectangular building complex that has rows of palm trees lining the path to the entrance. Aside from running daily government functions, Cape Aspiration Corlast houses facilities to handle the influx of immigrants, their integration, and record info for citizenship.  
***** End of Entry *****

***** Pedissia Database Entry: The Bumble Club *****  
The Bumble Club is a secretive organization that offers games and gaming merchandise at prices independent from those sold by official public stores, often at lower prices. It is widely believed that The Bumble Club operates in fashion similar to a flea or black market. To maintain its secrecy, the location in which the organization members operate from is guarded and only trusted customers may enter to conduct business. Furthermore, it is confirmed that all members of the Club work under two-letter codenames and wear a mask to conceal their identities.

Although The Bumble Club mostly operates outside government regulations concerning the sale and distribution of games, the Club prides itself in maintaining clean and honest business to maintain a good public image. The Bumble Club ensures that "customer service" is friendly and approachable and more importantly, the Club leaders appear to be opposed to the activities of piracy groups, stating that although their organization is quite similar to the pirates, they still uphold a code of honor and decency.  
***** End of Entry *****


	4. Chapter 3: Seeking the Steel

**Chapter 3: Seeking the Steel**

A strong cold breeze swept past the buildings, howling its chilled fury whenever it occurred. The same wind blew past Bell, brushing her hair around ruining whatever care she put into it earlier. ' _Jeez that's annoying,'_ she thought with irritation after combing her now unkempt hair with her fingers. She, Cog, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat had just departed the tram that delivered them to a town in the cold region of northern Conderica. From where they stood outside the transit station, the tall snow-capped mountain range could be seen. The sky above was nothing but grey clouds that sprinkled the occasional snowflake down to earth. One such flake landed on Bell's nose, who quickly brushed it off with annoyance.

"Anyways, let's just get this over with," Bell said, half yawning.

She turned and walked in the direction of town square, with everyone else following suit. Cog stretched her arms out wide to the side before having them rest behind her head. "So where we gonna find more rats? All JR said was that they were gonna be somewhere up north but she didn' give us a map or anythin'."

"Then we will simply have to rely on our intuition to find them to the best of our abilities," replied Nitroplus, seemingly unaffected by the cold despite her choice of attire. At her side, Raw Meat voiced her agreement. "Indeed meat! If we think about where we can meat them, then it shouldn't be too much trouble!"

Bell stopped on the cobblestone sidewalk and put her hand on her chin. "If I was a rat dealing primarily in pirating games, where would I be? The alleyways like last time?"

Nitroplus contemplated Bell's question. "There's no guarantee we'll run into them as we did before. Like any other crime organization operating from the shadows, they may have a hideout of sorts." She hoped that the rat's base - if they had any - wasn't as sophisticated as that of The Bumble Club. The malicious vermin couldn't possible be that well-equipped.

Bell looked around. They were in what appeared to be in a four-way intersection where a car or pedestrian could be seen passing by. The various shops, stores, and markets looked normal - nothing or no one that could provide a clue on the rat's whereabouts. Asking the local authorities might not work, as it was possible that they simply wouldn't be aware about the piracy operations and more importantly, they would have to explain _how_ they knew about the rats. Bell didn't feel like opening that can of worms just to stop some game pirates.

Nitroplus scanned her new environment before something caught her eye. "That terminal over there. Perhaps there's something that can give us a lead on the rats?" Bell and Cog looked to where she was pointing: the upright machine that was only a little taller than a person and had a screen as well as controls for the user - the Bounty Box. But it was where it was located in that caught their attention.

"'Genesis Station'? Huh, never thought I'd have to visit one in person," scoffed Bell. As the owner of a small but respectable game store, the idea of visiting a rival that had tried to muscle in on her business made her somewhat uncomfortable. Unlike "The Pipe Dream", the affluent corporation responsible for conceiving "Genesis Station" decided to spread their brand out far and wide throughout the PC Continent for the express purpose of maximizing profits. But in Bell's opinion, they lacked class, service, and the friendliness that a local store offered. However, it was undeniable that a Bounty Box was present within the store. Certain public places had those contraptions that not only acted as a map for navigation and as a high-tech telephone booth, it offered and accepted quests of all kind.

It seemed as though Nitroplus had an idea by pointing it out to the Devs. She walked up the Bounty Box and pushed a button. The screen changed to show a list of jobs and quests that were currently available and Nitroplus scrolled through it. As Bell and Cog approached her (while simultaneously keeping their distance from the store), it became obvious that Nitroplus was looking for something. Finally, she stopped and pointed at one item for everyone else to read.

 _REQUEST: A gang of rats were seen moving in and out of the derelict warehouse in the run-down district and I would like someone to drive them off. Gang presence considered a public health hazard. Credit reward for anyone who clears them out.  
_ _Addendum: I'VE HAD IT WITH THESE F $ &ING RATS IN THIS F $&ING NEIGHBORHOOD!  
_ _Addendum #2: Disregard the previous message. Gramps was just screwing around._

A smile spread across Bell's lips. "Bingo."

* * *

The run-down district was like night and day compared to the populated area of the town they just left. Not only was the place left entirely abandoned, but the whole place was in disrepair: the numerous buildings were haphazardly decorated with illegible graffiti and vegetation while the asphalt was littered with weeds. Rusted down and dented cars and trucks were scattered along the roads. No landowner or tenant was encountered and discarded trash could be seen as far as the eye could see.

So naturally, this would be where the rats would be found.

Bell looked straight ahead and saw the blocky silhouette of a large warehouse. Even from a distance, she could see how there was nary an intact glass window. Whatever window wasn't broken was instead boarded up, preventing her from being able to see what laid inside. She could also spy a set of double-doors that were presumably made of thick steel. They could either get in quietly, or barge in guns blazing. Cog walked up to her side, also thinking about their approach.

"I reckon I can get myself enough dynamite an' bombs to blow away half o' that thing if we needed to. It's not like anyone's gonna miss a warehouse… or a bunch o' rats."

Bell wasn't quite sure. "I'm not sure if anyone will let us get away with that kind of collateral damage. I think we can play this in a better way." She turned to face Nitroplus and Raw Meat. "Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and I will see if we can sneak our way in and see what exactly they're up to. Once either of us gives a signal of some sort..."

Bell turned to Cog. "... you can charge in and do what you do best. Just make sure you don't hit us, alright?"

Nitroplus nodded and Cog shrugged her shoulders, grunting an affirmative. Bell, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat approached the warehouse in as low a profile as they could to avoid any watchful eyes. Cog positioned herself behind an abandoned car near the double-doors. Taking the lead, Bell crouch-walked from one obstacle to another, getting closer to the warehouse until she found what she was looking for.

"Oh good. An air vent." Bell moved to the vent entrance and with her crowbar, wrenched the grating free. She motioned for Nitroplus and Raw Meat to follow as Bell crawled into the shaft. Thankfully - and conveniently - the vent was large enough for the average person to walk in a crouching position. Entering the vent, Bell took the left path and everyone else followed. She honestly wasn't quite sure where to go, but she had a feeling that this particular passageway would lead to someplace where they could pop out undetected. As they crawled through the air vent, they passed by other covered vent entrances that offered a view inside the warehouse. Through the slits, they could see that a good chunk of the warehouse was taken up by a large open room cluttered with abandoned machinery and boxes. There were catwalks high up along the walls and above the furniture and other than the light filtering in through the windows, the warehouse was unlit.

No, wait. In a remote section of the room, behind boxes, there was an aura of light. None of them could see what was over there due to the obstructions.

Seeing this, Bell changed directions to head in the direction of the light. They crawled through more dimly-lit air vents until Bell found a covered entrance that led to what looked like an abandoned windowless office. Using her crowbar, she gently dislodged the covering and crawled out. After checking her surroundings, she stood up and made room for Nitroplus and Raw Meat to exit the vent. Tip-toeing to the door, Bell thought she heard voices on the other side of the door. Without any windows to see out through, she was unsure of the source of the sound. After motioning Nitroplus and Raw Meat to be silent, Bell pressed her ear against the door. Nitroplus and Raw Meat mimicked her action. The voices were more clear now.

"... and make sure these get sent out, chu. Not sure what happened to our other cell, but you don't want..."

"Heh heh, chu. We'll make sure..."

"... importantly, increase your efforts. I've informed the others to the east..."

"Chu, right you are, God. I'll see to it..."

"... may the Deity of Sin reward us for our efforts, chu."

 _*Click!*_

' _Were they talking to someone on a radio?'_ wondered Bell. One of the voices belonging to what may be the rat leader seemed to be coming from a radio of sorts. ' _Well that certainly proves that there's more to the stupid rats. I was afraid that would be the case...'_ The voices ceased, presumably because the conversation stopped and taking the risk, Bell gently opened the door until a thin opening was made and peered through.

Directly ahead of the door was the source of the bright light: a desk lamp on top of a workbench occupied by a purple rat whose back was turned to them, typing away on a computer. None of them could see what exactly the rat was working on, but the plastic baskets full of USBs and CDs told them enough. A golden rat was standing in front of an old-fashioned radio next to his purple counterpart. The golden rat pointed to someone outside their field of view and barked orders.

"Get yourselves over here and help out with this, chu! We need to push production to overdrive!"

"Looks like we stumbled upon quite a meaty base!" whispered Raw Meat, her voice filled with excitement. "This must be where their wares are coming from, meat!"

"Right," Bell whispered, turning to Nitroplus and Raw Meat. "We don't quite know how many of them there are, but we have the element of surprise. If this is their base, there should be some information about them. Uh, is Raw Meat okay with creating a distraction while Nitroplus and I see what we can find?"

Raw Meat bounced up and down. "Of course, meat!" Bell and Nitroplus opened the door slightly more to allow Raw Meat to flutter through and out of sight. Moments later, a clanging sound could be heard which alerted all the rats within view. "Chu, check what that was! It better not be an intruder!" ordered the gold rat. A squad of purple rats dropped their tasks and headed to the direction of the sound, leaving the gold rat and two of his purple underlings behind at the workbench.

Sensing their golden opportunity, Bell and Nitroplus flung the door open and rushed the rats. Seeing them, the gold rat squeaked before being silenced by Nitroplus's katana. The two remaining rats were just as surprised as their leader; like their leader, they fell quickly by both Nitroplus's sword and Bell's crowbar. Standing by the computer, Bell examined the screen which confirmed her suspicions. The screen displayed lines of code, folders, and a window that indicated a loading bar. Attached to the computer, was a USB and next to that was a stack of retail copies of games, some of which she recognized.

' _So this is how they're doing it: they get their hands on actual copies of games, extract and copy the files, and store the copies on USBs and CDs to give away.'_

Bell looked to the side to see Nitroplus rummaging through the rats' belongings that surrounded a table. "Find anything?" she asked.

Nitroplus shook her head. "I haven't found anything that could pertain to the location of other bases or how large the organization is." She grabbed a backpack and turned it over, dumping its contents of snacks, game copies, USBs, and CDs.

Bell looked back to the computer and decided to search through its internal documents, hoping to find a folder that may contain locations and members of the organization. But what perplexed her was that, aside from the computer's operating system, web browser, and file extraction software, there wasn't any folder other than copied data of pirated games. ' _Huh. These rats couldn't even be bothered to at least store porn on this computer. At least that would've been something...'_

But there opportunity was coming to a close. "Hey! Watchu doing there, chu?!" Bell and Nitroplus turned to see that the squad of rats sent to investigate Raw Meat's distraction had returned. "We were fooled, chu! Get 'em!"

And in that instant, the wall behind the rats exploded, bombarding some of the rats unfortunate enough to be within its blast radius with debris. A dust cloud choked the gap in the wall. "Get down!" yelled Bell as she and Nitroplus jumped down on the floor. A sweeping arc of gunfire scythed through the opening, cutting down whatever rat foolishly remained standing. The bullets whizzed through the warehouse, flying over Bell and Nitroplus. The ones that survived all fled in a direction away from the gunfire and from Bell and Nitroplus. The gunfire stopped, and Cog soon stepped out from the dust cloud, with her machine gun in hand.

"Heard somethin' going on in there. Did I save both of y'all asses?"

Bell could only groan as she stood up, slapping dust off of herself. "Saved our asses? If your aim was any lower, you would've _shot_ our asses." Nitroplus coughed away some dust before she said, "I didn't expect your act of heroism to be so… haphazard."

Cog could only salute in a cute and childish way with a big smile. "So, uh, where's the meatloaf?" Her question was quickly answered by said meatloaf slapping the side of her head. "Here am I, Coggie! But we shouldn't waste too much time: a few of the rats ran away!"

Nitroplus paid Raw Meat her complete attention, having forgotten about being covered in dust. "Where?" she half asked, half demanded. Raw Meat dashed in the direction that the surviving rats fled, chirping "Follow me, meat!" The other three sprinted after her, running through an open door and coming to a stop once outside the warehouse.

From the distance, they could see the small purple bodies running for their lives down the ruined street. Without a word, Nitroplus gave chase, brushing past Bell and Cog with her katana in hand. She ran as fast as she could after the rats, but unlike them her running wasn't fueled by the possibility of a painful demise. The rats made a turn behind an empty house, leaving her field of view. Just as she was about to round the corner, a deafening shout and hurricane-like wind caused her to stop dead in her tracks, recoiling in pain from the sheer sound. The rats she was pursuing just now instead flew past her like ragdolls, impacting the scenery in various, painful ways.

Slowly, she looked around the corner and saw a lone figure standing in the middle of the street, her black jacket sporting intricate silver lines that even formed a dragon on the front. Bell, Cog, and Raw Meat finally caught up with Nitroplus to find her fixated on something around the corner, the rats scattered down the street on the opposite side. "What's going on?" asked Bell as she approached behind Nitroplus and leaned over to see what she was looking at.

"... Weaver?"

* * *

"... So that's why you were after the rats." Weaver leaned back on the chair, rocking it back and forth on its hind legs. "Heh. I just thought clearing them out was just another mundane sidequest. Who would've thought?"

The whole group sat around a round table inside a nearby cafe. After Bell was able to explain to Weaver everything that was going on, they went back to the warehouse to destroy whatever trace of the rat operation remained and headed back to the town to turn in the quest. Afterwards, it was suggested that they find someplace to rest and make formal introductions (Raw Meat's introduction took the longest when they had to convince Weaver that Raw Meat was in fact real and not some apparition).

As it turned out, Weaver was another of the PC Continent Dev who lived nearby, trying to find some inspiration for her next story-driven project and fulfilling the occasional quest. Neither party expected to run into each other, much less while performing the same quest.

Bell had just finished explaining her side of the story to Weaver, who took it all in while sipping her latte. Her long dark-brown sidetail swayed with the rocking of the chair as she took a moment to digest what she was told. She turned to both Nitroplus and Raw Meat, who sat directly across from her and, with the hand holding her drink, casually pointed to the two with her index finger.

"So you're the ones who were after those rats from the start, huh?"

"That is correct, Weaver," replied Nitroplus. "My mission is to destroy all evil wherever they are."

Weaver raised a curious eyebrow. "Evil, huh? Those rats are sure going to get what's coming to them, right?"

"That is correct. Anyone who associates themselves with evil have done so of their own accord. They have willingly aligned themselves with the force that wishes to use the instruments of evil to bring harm. My sword, however, is an instrument of justice that will protect others."

Weaver leaned her head back and chuckled. "Oh, you're one of those people, huh..."

Nitroplus gave Weaver a quizzical look. "What do you mean by that?"

Weaver brought the chair forward, ending the back-and-forth motion she put it in and stood up. "Hey, since you're all here, I suppose there's no harm in letting you stay over at my place for a while. It's pretty fancy, you all should see it." Bell and Cog both raised their brows upon hearing this proposition. Bell gave quick glances at everyone's faces for their approval and gave her answer to Weaver.

"Sure." ' _Hopefully we don't have to pay for the housing...'_

"Alright!" Weaver raised her left arm which as everyone else saw had a small square-like device wrapped around her wrist. She brought it up and tapped some buttons before putting her arm down. "Follow me and I'll give you a ride. My home's quite some distance from here and I need to find my car."

Bell followed Weaver out through the cafe door. "Nifty thing you got there," commented Bell. "Been doing you good?" Weaver let out a short small laugh. "Oh yeah. Got in touch with someone who was willing to make me one of these. A little more bulky than your ordinary cell phone, but it can do a lot of things like..."

As they walked, Weaver started listing off a laundry list of technical terms describing what her wrist computer could do, so Cog mentally filtered it out in her head. She wasn't quite interested in that stuff and even then, Weaver was using words that she wouldn't understand, let alone find it in any dictionary. Bell seemed to understand every word said, nodding as Weaver spoke. The only thing Cog could understand was that right now, the location of Weaver's car could be found on the computer's map and that's where they were headed.

They followed the direction on Weaver's wrist computer which seemed to lead them through a few streets and intersections. Along the way, Nitroplus looked at the numerous shops, offices, and stores they passed. The signs and decor were run-of-the-mill, but within she saw ordinary people leading ordinary lives. They were not actively committing crimes; none of them even looked like the kind to perform villainous acts.

But the criminals she fought up to this point were the opposite: rather than doing good in their lives, they dedicated it to bringing misery to others. They didn't care about the ramifications of their actions, so long as they benefit from it. Evildoers only take and take at the expense of the weak and defenseless. Nitroplus found nothing noble about that and the only way to stop it was to destroy the criminals. But _only_ the criminals. That should be fine, right?

' _But why did Weaver react that way?'_

"And here it is!" Weaver exclaimed.

Her exclamation snapped Nitroplus out of her thoughts and she found that they had reached a small parking lot. Ahead was an ebon convertible, the compartment open and its exterior polished almost to a mirror sheen and despite the clouds, what little sunlight there was made the car shine like a gem. But what struck many of them was that it was ancient: the exterior round headlights, snout-shaped front section, and lustrous magenta leather seats all indicated that an automobile of this caliber was an archaic rarity.

But there was no denying that what it made up for lack of modernity, it more than made up for it in class and style.

Weaver twirled the keys as she opened the front door on the driver's side. "There's just enough room in the back for three people. Well, two people and one sentient piece of meat to be precise. Anyways, hope in!"

Turning the keys, the engine roared into life.

* * *

The car turned down a country road, having left any vestige of civilization behind and into a realm of rocky plains close to the mountains. From a distance, the passengers caught a glimpse of a grey castle embedded on the slope of a mountain. Its impressive size made Cog and Nitroplus gaze at it in awe.

"Well, hot-diggity! You compensatin' for somethin' with a house this big?" joked Cog from the car's backseat. Weaver suddenly burst out a short laugh. "Well, you're not to talk, Cog."

"... Screw you!"

Weaver steered the car to rest in front of the castle entrance, a large set of double doors made out of thick wood reinforced with black steel. Weaver tapped a few buttons on her personal computer and the door swung open, allowing her to propel the car through inside the castle. Once through, the doors closed shut and Weaver shut off the engine. Everyone exited the vehicle to remark at the interior.

Within, the walls towered above everyone. Each stone wall was decorated in huge paintings the size of the car and swirling patterns. They surrounded them in a large circle. Marble pillars scattered across the area, mostly dotted near the giant walls. To the right, a large spiral staircase sat with golden bars encircling the outside to hold onto. All was painted a similar grey except for the occasional sprinkling of: yellows, blues and reds (mostly on the paintings and around them). Beneath, a sparkling clean marble floor stretched out to the walls themselves. A red carpet was laid waiting towards yet another set of doors from where they stood. Upon the long thin red carpet, golden highlights ran down the outside in perfect straight lines; only at the very ends they curved.

"Welcome to Castle Wolf!" boomed Weaver, her voice echoing through the room and the arms spread out far.

"You didn't have to shout so doggone loudly…" Cog complained, "got a ringin' now that I only expect from a large weapon of destruction!"

"Never changed Coggie…"

"Don't you start too, Weaver!"

They all walked to the next set of doors as they opened like the previous ones. Nitroplus was last to enter before the huge wooden doors slowly closed and locked behind. Beyond them, a wide corridor stood before them. Doors (that looked just like the previous) filled the walls to the sides in equal spacing. Between these, yet more paintings littered with Weaver's past and some self portraits; some even repeated in a very similar style or even copies with minor differences.

' _Gee, how creative...'_ thought Bell with a tinge of amusement.

They walked down the hall, giving Weaver the chance to act as their impromptu tour guide. "Back then, when I was writing and selling my stories that took place in a fantasy setting, I thought it'll be pretty sweet if I could actually live in one. Or at least, something that's close to one. Got the property rights and a contractor to build this castle and to be honest, it's been worth every credit."

Weaver pointed to a mahogany door labeled on the hall's right side labeled "Armory". "Through that door is where I would collect whatever valuable or rare weapons I can find along with suits of armor on display. Right now, it doesn't have much but one day..."

Weaver repeated the action with the door on the left side, labeled "Library". "As the sign suggests, that is where I keep books of any kind that can help me write, regardless of genre. If not, then I can go there to enjoy a good book."

"... Nerd," muttered Cog quietly.

"Right! The door over there leads to a multistory section that has all the living quarters. They should all be stocked with ready-made beds and a bath. It should also be right next to the dining hall so I'll have something ready within an hour or so. And uh..." Going to continue her tour, Weaver's eyes came upon a side passage that led downstairs, a place where a door would be.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention," Weaver spoke clicking her fingers and swinging around to face the others, "I have a resident in the basement, she's a wild one but I will introduce her later. For now, let's -"

Literally just after she said these words, a massive bang could be heard from below. Then another. Then another.

Suddenly, the floor next to Cog and Nitroplus erupted into a ringing flurry of wood splinters, loose rock, smoke, and dust. Everyone scrambled away from the explosion, with Bell, Cog, and Nitroplus summoning their respective weapons. But nothing popped out of the dust cloud and when it settled, they could all see a gaping hole in the floor. Everyone except Weaver inched close to the hole and could see that it led to another part of Weaver's castle, albeit one made from concrete and steel supports.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering what just happened and why the floor blew up when a muffled voice and falling rock particles came from the ceiling. Bell looked up to see what looked like a able-bodied girl wearing fingerless gloves and a leather jacket whose brown color dulled with age and use. The person's head was buried into a ceiling, explaining her muffled voice which was quite intelligible, although Bell could tell that this person was impassioned.

With that rocket launcher that was in that person's hand, Bell had a strong feeling that this was…

"... I take it you've been messing around in the basement, BJ?" Weaver asked exasperatedly while shaking her head.

BJ used her free hand to wrench her head free from the indentation in the ceiling and promptly fell down to earth hard, landing right next to the hole she supposedly came through. Standing up, the rocket launcher disappeared as she dusted herself off. BJ patted her wild unkempt hair which Cog thought was covered thick with grey dust only for her to realize that it was her natural hair color. After a successful patting, a filament of grey hair shot up.

All BJ did was make a wide carefree grin, showing off a single sharp fang. "WOO-Wee! I didn't expect to make it that high! And for the record Weaver, I was just rocket-jumping."

Weaver rolled her eyes dismissively. "And you just made two brand new holes in the floor and ceiling of the main hall. Are you trying to get me to kick you out?"

"Can't help it; I aim to misbehave after all," BJ responded, shrugging her shoulders with no concern for anything.

Trying to compute what just happened, Nitroplus leaned close to Bell and whispered in her ear. "Who exactly is she?"

"Another Dev. She might not look or act like it, but BJ's one of the oldest Dev around who's still kicking… literally. Ever since she made a name for herself, she's always been acting like the kind of person who would accept the biggest dare and treat every fight like it's a big joke."

Nitroplus could only give a look of complete incredulity. "... Really?"

"BELLY!" Before Bell could react, she received a crushing bear-hug from BJ. "Didn't expect to see you here! Last I remember, you were making bank with some shooter games! That must've been what, years ago? You still kicking ass and taking names?"

Bell, with her glasses lopsided, looked as though she almost had the life squeezed out of her thanks to BJ's tight embrace. Once she could breathe, Bell could only gasp, "Um… not really… been busy with… other stuff."

BJ let go and patted Bell's abdomen with the back of her right hand and with a smirk, said, "Well, that explains it." She patted Bell's stomach once more to emphasize the point.

While Bell was left flabbergasted and speechless, BJ turned to Nitroplus, who gulped and started sweating. "So who's the weird chick?" BJ asked, turning towards Weaver and Cog. "She adopted or..."

BJ's eyes turned to Raw Meat, who was floating next to Cog. BJ suddenly went silent with a look of disbelief. Quietly, she asked, "... Is this what we're having for lunch?"

Weaver stepped in between BJ and Raw Meat who quickly hid behind Cog. "Hey, hey! I could barely believe it myself at first but that little steak piece is real and would _definitely_ not appreciate you eating it."

BJ instantly took a step back, grinning ear to ear showing her noticeable fang once again. "Yeah yeah. I just couldn't help but imagine what that thing would've tasted like. I mean, don't tell me none of you thought about it!"

Everyone except for Weaver turned to look at Raw Meat, whose ever-present smile was supplemented by an expression of dread as color started to drain from her face.

Weaver sighed and turned to head into a deeper part of her castle. "... I'll have something ready for lunch right away. Now, please follow me, we have much to talk about."

She opened yet another set of identical doors before everyone else followed. The doors slammed behind them with a thud and then silence...

* * *

The dining hall of Castle Wolf resembled something straight out of medieval folklore: a long wooden table was situated in the open center with rows of chairs flanking it. With a table designed to seat so many, it was appropriately crammed with all sorts of food, all fit for a king's plate. Everything from finely grilled hams coated in gravy and salads decorating delicious steaks to fine wines sealed in large bottles and perfectly cut goblets. Everything had been perfectly laid out with equal spacing (even with a full cleaning on all cutlery and glasses).

Beside the huge wooden tables, tall chairs littered the outskirts. A total of a dozen encircled the rectangular table with one on each end facing each other: fit for a king or queen. However, none sat on these. Everyone sat close to the centre and brought the food closer to the middle, to the point where bowls clanged together.

After seeing that BJ was living with Weaver, Bell took this opportunity to ask Weaver why she was living in the basement. Thus, Weaver explained while Bell listened taking the odd mouthful.

"Eh, it mostly had to do with our recent joint project." ' _Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing something about that'_ thought Bell.

Weaver continued, swallowing a portion of her meal. "Since it turned out a lot better than we expected, I decided to let her stay here and well..." She took one look at BJ who was rubbing her hands and had a predatory gleam in her eyes at all the food. "It's a no brainer that someone like her wouldn't stay anywhere else for long before everyone within a kilometer radius gets tired of her shenanigans, you know? Granted, I made conditions and confined her to the castle's reinforced vault - er, basement where there's plenty of space for her to do… whatever she does."

All of this over the loud roar of munching and scoffing from Cog and BJ. For every bite from either Bell or Weaver, an entire bowl of food vanished. Bits of food flew into the air, shooting up like catapults from their plates (Nitroplus, who had the misfortune to be seated next to them, was not amused in the slightest). By the time Bell had finished explaining their situation to Weaver, the rest of the food and drink had been eaten except for the occasional crumb dotted among metal plates and bowls.

"Delicious!" both Cog and BJ proclaimed, slamming down their last bowls onto the table.

"Oh dear…" Weaver mumbled with her head in her hands, "that was to be for all of us with some to spare!"

She sighed before turning to Bell, "From what you've said, these criminal scum need a good kicking and, luckily, I need some ideas for my new work. Who knows, maybe some sort of adventure would get my gears rolling enough to spin a good tale out of it. I shall help. Hey, BJ, our friends, particularly Nitroplus over there, need us to kick some ass. You want to join?"

"Of course! Who the hell do you think I am? Anything to get out and have some fun!"

Weaver turned back to Bell. "It is decided then. We shall help on this quite extraordinary quest which hopefully I can adapt into a good story later on. And there isn't a moment to lose! We shall disembark right away for… wherever those rats are supposed to be. I suppose you haven't found a lead?"

Bell leaned back on her chair, thinking. Nitroplus and Raw Meat were also deep in thought, as they were the ones who infiltrated the rat's warehouse earlier today. There was a moment of silence until…

"Meat! The east!" chirped Raw Meat. Bell and Nitroplus looked at her in surprise until realization hit them both.

"Back when we snuck in, we overheard the rat in charge talking to someone higher up in the hierarchy. Whoever that rat is, he mentioned others in the east," Bell explained to Weaver, but was loud enough to share this with everyone else. BJ and Cog stopped wiping their mouths to look at Bell as she disclosed her realization.

Everyone looked at each other in silence until Weaver turned to face everyone. "Well that settles things, doesn't it? They're out east, so that's where we're headed!"

They all stood up, with Weaver snapping her fingers causing all the plates and mess to disappear from sight (' _That's handy...'_ Bell thought). They all rushed through the corridor they walked through some time ago in the very long tour of Castle Wolf (hole in the ground notwithstanding). They all got to the front entrance where a large coat rack waited in the corner. Weaver grabbed a large brown suitcase and a long black jacket with a dragon silhouette upon the back. BJ kept the same large leather jacket on and took nothing in form of luggage. However, something was amiss.

"Just a second ladies," Weaver looked at her wrist computer. A red flash emitted from the top with what looked like a CCTV camera outside the front entrance. Monsters… They had swarmed the the castle grounds and weren't planning to leave. "Seems like we have visitors, a herd of Dogoos. BJ, we have some cleaning to do." BJ smiled in response, materialising the same rocket launcher from before. Nitroplus, Meat, Bell and Cog all drew their weapons before Weaver held her hand out front.

"Now now, I know what you're thinking, but why don't you hang back? Stuff like this happens once in a while and BJ and I are used to this. Why don't you let us handle this; see for yourselves what we can do," she explained as they all looked at each other before relaxing and withdrawing their weapons one after another.

Weaver turned to meet BJ by the entrance before turning around to face Bell. "Besides, if it weren't for you, I would've finished that quest at the warehouse." Chuckling, she walked to the front doors. These rocked and shook violently from the monsters outside. Weaver stood dead on to the doors ad BJ hid around the side ready and waiting…

"Fus-Ro-HAH!" Weaver bellowed, her hands cupped to focus the voice. Great shock waves shot out instantly, blasting the doors open rapidly. This sent the Wumpossoms flying away and scattering them over a wide area. Weaver winked and gave the thumbs up to BJ and she ran into out through the doors right to the centre of the herd. She cheered constantly, arms up in the air.

"HERE COMES THE PAIN TRAIN! CHOO-CHOO!"

BJ ran towards the monsters at full speed before jumping and firing the rocket launcher once beneath her. The resulting explosion propelled her far above the monsters' heads as she fired a salvo as fast as she could. The torrent of rockets obliterated the intruders and BJ landed on a hapless survivor, instantly reducing it to something akin to a flattened Play-Doh under her boots.

BJ never stopped once; she was always on the move. Rockets blew the ground into smithereens, a constant flow from her launcher. Even when she was far too close to nearby enemies, she simply grabbed them and smashed all in her grasp into the ground or at another, destroying both instantly. All the while she laughed. One liners filled the gaps in noise not already taken over by explosions and gusts of air rushing past.

Soon, the rocket salvos fell silent as clicks could be hear from BJ's rocket launcher. Without hesitation, she tossed it away and in her hands a chainsaw appeared. The rocket launcher vanished into grabbed it with both hands before pulling the cord with her teeth. The roaring of the chainsaw's engine replaces the sound of explosions in BJ's symphony of carnage.

"I'm superbad! You think you can get me?"

BJ only continued like she did before. Enemies simply vanished with a swing from the chainsaw. The others could barely keep up with her movements. One moment, BJ jumped high above before smashing into the ground. Then, the next moment, she had been swarmed by the monsters only for them to be beaten back. Yet more laughter over the constant growl of the chainsaw. It was an absolute massacre for the dogoos.

Yet, this whole time, Weaver simply stood back in the sidelines watching BJ rip and tear through the wild monsters. She turned back to see the reactions of everyone else. Bell's eyes were half open and her expression was bored, almost as if she had expected something like this. Cog was giddy, hopping up and down in excitement watching BJ work. Raw Meat was… Raw Meat.

But when she turned to see Nitroplus's reaction, Weaver saw something different. She wasn't uninterested or excited. Rather, she looked… unsure, perhaps a little startled. ' _Maybe she isn't used to this kind of violence? But if so, she won't get far in that hero quest of hers...'_

Weaver turned back to face BJ, who stood atop a pile of charred dogoo bodies, chainsaw raised triumphantly. She noticed how everyone was gaping at her and asked "Did anyone not get a slice?" Behind her, something twitched.

In a flash, the surviving monster was skewered by a metallic blade that suddenly came out of nowhere. The blade was long, far longer than anything seen. All eyes followed the blade and discovered that it lead to a hilt held in Weaver's hand. She raised the impossibly long sword with the dogoo impaled on the other end until it vanished into bubble-like light. Satisfied, the blade quickly retracted until the sword was of a normal length and dematerialized from Weaver's hand.

Smiling and flicking her sidetail back, Weaver replied, "... Missed one."

BJ chuckled while her chainsaw dematerialised from her hands, "There's always one… Anyway, what's the plan now chief?"

"We overheard back in the abandoned warehouse that there was further operations to the east," Nitroplus stated without hesitation, "I suggest that we head there right away."

"That'll mean crossing the Turing Woodlands," commented Bell, thinking. "That's filled to the brim with monsters and all kinds before we reach the nearest city on the other side. You sure about that?"

Nitroplus responded with a simple, "I'm sure..." with a quick turn to look at BJ.

"It's decided then, we're goin' on a road trip!" excitedly added Cog before jumping into the backseat of Weaver's car, "quicker the better! Mo' enemies to grind some Experience!"

The others followed suit and joined Cog in the car, with Bell taking the seat next to Weaver and Raw Meat and Nitroplus joining Cog in the backseat (due to their concerns over BJ, it was elected to stuff her in the trunk along with their belongings. BJ didn't mind). After everyone made themselves comfortable, Weaver turned the key in the ignition and the car slowly pulled off. Pebbles flew up behind the wheels while a smooth ride was maintained. So, off they went. Most of the rats had been removed from business in Conderica, however there was still much do to beyond the forest.

' _I have certainly gained new allies to help me defeat the rats and help restore peace,'_ Nitroplus ruminated, with BJ in her mind. ' _... But are they the right people to help me?'_

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Bounty Box *****  
The Bounty Box is a mechanical terminal located throughout the PC Continent within certain public spaces. Taking the appearance of a tall metallic booth, Bounty Boxes offer navigational aid to those who are lost and make long-distance calls. But a more popular task that they fulfill is to provide quests which range from simple part-time jobs to aid requests. All quests offered via the Bounty Box can accept them upon completion in return for rewards.  
***** End of Entry *****

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Genesis Station *****  
The Genesis Station is the name of a chain store owned and run by an affluent corporation that is heavily invested in providing contracts and employment to Devs. As it is funded, Genesis Station can be found throughout the PC Continent and handles services very similar to those of The Pipe Dream. As such, there is competition between the two stores. While The Pipe Dream still retains the familiarity, popularity, and reliability of a long-standing store, the Genesis Station can offer items that are almost exclusive to it and is one of the few places to have Bounty Boxes that provide assistance and quests.  
***** End of Entry *****


	5. Chapter 4: Middle of Nowhere

**Chapter 4: Middle of Nowhere**

A certain fancy black convertible bumped along a dirt road. Its fenders and rims coated in a fine layer of dust that indicated almost an hour of travel. The road it traveled on was unlike the finely paved highways that the inner cities enjoyed. Outside the cities, civilization gave way to the forest wilderness filled with the occasional village, town, and monsters. Due to how abundant monsters were, the vast regions between the east and west sides of the PC Continent ensured that only the well-prepared and well-armed adventurers would dare venture there.

Said adventurers were currently bored out of their minds from the long road trip. In the backseat, Cog leaned her head back on the magenta leather seats. She sighed. "We there yet?"

In the driver's seat, Weaver replied, "No."

The car interior fell silent for a couple seconds before Cog broke the silence. "Uh, I spy with my little eye somethin'... green."

It was over a dozen minutes ago since they saw another person. Ever since they left Conderica grounds half an hour ago, they slowly found themselves surrounded by tall trees and bushes. Without skipping a beat, Weaver answered "The trees?"

Cog didn't say anything, so Weaver assumed she got the correct answer. She glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that Nitroplus and Raw Meat were asleep, occasionally fidgeting over every bump. Glancing to her side, Weaver saw Bell who was also asleep, unperturbed by any disturbance. She wasn't sure about BJ's status as she was stuffed in the trunk.

Focusing back to the dirt road ahead, Weaver's eyes caught something. Standing out from the field of green and brown, she saw a small village. Among the few buildings and houses, she saw what looked like a refueling station. A quick peek at the dashboard told Weaver that her car's fuel tank was less than a quarter full.

A small shuffling sound in the back indicated that Cog saw the station up ahead. Sitting upright, her spirits were instantly lifted. "Well I'll be damned! 'Bout time we found somethin' that ain't shrubbery!"

Weaver steered the convertible next to one of the fuel pumps at the station and turned the engine off. Weaver stepped out, stretching and wrinkling out any aches as a result of driving for what seemed like an eternity. Cog mimicked her action and immediately after, banging sounds were heard coming from the trunk. Weaver quickly unlocked it and almost got bowled over by BJ who jumped out and ran inside the station.

Shaking her head, Weaver chuckled. "... Looks like we arrived at the right time for bathroom breaks."

* * *

Bell yawned as she stepped inside the station. Ignoring the cashier's greeting, she walked to the various isles and scanned the numerous snacks, sweets, and drinks. With little regard for specifics, Bell casual dropped whatever item suited her fancy into a plastic basket: some chocolate bars, potato chips, pudding labeled Nep's, a few plastic utensils, and a few bottled water.

She walked to the cash register and let the cashier scan the items. Bell noticed that the cashier was an unremarkable young man, presumably just out of high school and likely some part-time worker. ' _Oh well. Not like I'm one to judge.'_ mused Bell.

As the cashier scanned the items, he glimpsed at Bell and then to the other Devs outside. Bell could sense an uncomfortable second of silence before the cashier broke the ice.

"So, uh… you guys headed somewhere? We, uh, don't get much people passing through this particular place."

"Uh, nothing special in particular," Bell replied nonchalantly. "If anything, we're just… sightseeing."

"Oh. Well, uh, like I said: we don't get much people here." The cashier seemed to act somewhat socially awkward. Then again, this place is practically in the middle of nowhere. "At best, we, uh, have to put up with some weirdo who comes by once in a while. Spouting stuff about aliens or something..."

' _Cool story bro.'_ Bell wasn't too keen on making small talk. She briskly gathered what items were scanned into a plastic bag. But the cashier kept his one-sided conversation going.

"Like, no really. She doesn't come here often but still enough for, uh, for the whole place to know her. Uh, I personally don't believe in aliens or that stuff but it kinda makes you wonder..."

He scanned the final item and handed it to Bell who impatiently tossed it into the bag. ' _Ugh. About time...'_ thought Bell who felt elated for not having to be engaged in the awkward small talk any further. She paid the credit amount and walked outdoors. Close to the dirt road outside the refueling station, Bell saw everyone taking a seat around a picnic table.

She walked up and dropped the bag on the table and took a seat herself. Immediately, everyone reached into the bag and pulled out whatever suited their fancy. BJ eyed the item in her hand which was a Nep's pudding. Shrugging her shoulders, she cracked it open and dug out a spoonful of the soft pudding out directly out of its container and into her mouth, gobbling it in an instant.

"That's not how you eat pudding." BJ looked up to find Nitroplus staring at her with a slight disdain on her face. "Here's how you do it."

Grabbing another sample of the pudding, Nitroplus peeled off the wrapper and instead of immediately digging in with her spoon, flipped it upside down to rest on a paper plate. She gave it a second to be accustomed to its new orientation before gently lifting the plastic container away. The pudding wobbled and jiggled, but held firm.

"See, BJ! That's a meat way to eat a pudding of this caliber!" chimed Raw Meat who hovered next to her partner, who now sported an amused smile.

In disbelief, BJ looked down at her pudding which was reduced to nothing but a jello mess within its container. After a terse moment of silence, she immediately flung her arms in the air, sending the pudding and utensil into the air. "THEN WHAT THE FLYING CHOCOPI SHIT IS THE CONTAINER FOR?!" BJ screamed.

A dope-slap at the back of her head answered the question, courtesy of Weaver, who had been preoccupied with refueling her car. "Don't shout so damn loud," she scolded. "And don't give me any of that 'well you do that thing too' stuff."

Weaver directed her attention to Bell, who had simply sat down and rested her head on top of the table. "Still not fully awake?"

"I'll be awake when we get there..." groaned Bell. "I had to put up with weird talk from the cashier and already I feel tired."

Munching on a chocolate bar, Cog chimed in. "C'mon, Bell, it can't be that bad. What sort o' weird stuff did you even hear anyway?"

Turning her still resting head, Bell replied, "Eh, random stuff about how someone's obsessed with aliens." Everyone listening either rolled their eyes or shook their heads, chuckling.

Weaver checked the time on her wrist-computer and looked back up. "I reckon the car's tank is back to full, so let's get ready to pack it up. Any last-minute bathroom trips before we go?"

* * *

Weaver's car drove straight out of the small village and back into the realm of greenery but not before its occupants encountered an immediate problem: some distance ahead of them lay a handful of monsters.

Weaver slammed the breaks and sighted, raising one hand from the wheel in exasperation. "... Really?!"

Bell leaned forward in her seat to take a better look. From what she could see, the monsters had thick fur and walking on all fours. Her eyes narrowed. "Well, it's not like this sort of stuff doesn't happen. I mean, it's statistically not impossible that a road will be blocked by monsters."

"Why can't we just make 'em roadkill?" asked Cog who leaned out of the back seat right between Bell and Weaver. "It's not like they're gonna win a game of 'Car vs. Monster'."

Cog's suggestion was met with an immediate slap on the head by Weaver. "Like _hell_ I'm going to damage my car by following your idea!"

A click from one of the passenger doors opened and Nitroplus stepped out, sword and gun in hand. "Stay here. I'll take care of this." Without another word, she walked out in front of the car towards the monsters.

As she drew closer, the quadruped monsters began to notice her presence, turning their heads one by one to face Nitroplus. The monster herd slowly approached her as a group, arranging themselves in a semicircle formation. As she came closer, Nitroplus could detect a certain odor emanating from those creatures. Both parties slowly closed the distance before Nitroplus suddenly leaped forward.

In a flash, she sliced the middle monster before the others started to surround her. Utilizing her initial momentum, Nitroplus bounded forward out of their grasp and fired her pistol. Her first shots hit their mark on one of the monsters but they only managed to wound it. In response, its healthier companions began to stagger their movements, ducking left and right to dodge further shots.

The monsters' sudden movements caught Nitroplus off-guard; she didn't expect something of their size to be so agile and limber. Her hesitation gave the monsters an opportunity to hurl towards her with their claws outstretched. Nitroplus tucked and rolled away at the last second, the monsters' talons barely grazing her hair and dress. She swung her katana, slicing another one of the monsters but during that time, the others moved to surround her.

' _This isn't looking good…!'_ she thought right before one of the monsters leaped at her with its claws outstretched, roaring…

Until it was bodychecked aside by BJ who hurtled past Nitroplus. She and the monster proceeded to duke it out on the dirt but Nitroplus ignored it, choosing to take this opportunity to press the attack on the rest of the monsters who were surprised by the sudden appearance of another intruder.

Nitroplus threw herself towards one of the surviving monsters and sliced, felling it in one stroke. Another monster next to it avoided a similar fate by hopping back just out of the katana's reach. But before it could savor the moment of avoiding death, a hail of bullets collided with it. Cog walked past Nitroplus and towards the monster she shot, her signature machine gun in hand. She put it up to its head and fired a two-round burst, causing the monster to disappear in light before it left not trace.

Whatever monster that wasn't sliced, diced, or gunned down unanimously chose the better side of valor and retreated into the deeper part of the forest where they eventually vanished from view. Nitroplus turned around and saw that Weaver, Bell, and Raw Meat had just approached the battle.

"I thought you said you'll take care of it," said Bell jokingly. Changing to a more serious expression, she asked, "You all right?"

"Yes, I am. I suppose I should be in your debt this time," thanked Nitroplus. Sounds of a scuffle could still be heard and all eyes turned to what laid in the middle of the road. BJ was still wrestling with the monster she knocked aside during her entrance. She was on top of it, constantly forcing the monster on the ground with savage blows to its head. The monster resisted with all its strength, but BJ's was greater and eventually, the monster's will to fight sapped after each blow. Satisfied, BJ stood up and stepped back from the incapacitated monster before swiftly punting it, sending its body careening to the sky until it practically became a twinkle.

Every single monster had been defeated, either: fled or been destroyed in the fight. None was left standing against them. BJ sulked. She couldn't beat any more into the ground, although the credits and experience earnt were not too bad.

With the skirmish won, Nitroplus relaxed but at the same time, felt discouraged. Surveying the ground in which she fought the monsters, she couldn't help but imagine how easily she could have been defeated. If it weren't for the Devs' timely intervention...

"Wumpossoms." Bell's word snapped Nitroplus back to the present as she realized that Bell was looking at her, as if she could read her feelings. "That's what they're called, the things we just fought. They might not look like it, but they're definitely more nimble than they appear. And don't ask me who came up with those names, because I sure didn't."

Nitroplus gazed to the direction in which the surviving Wumpossoms fled and sighed. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I must have foolishly underestimated them. I simply didn't expect them to be so fast for their size."

They all returned to the car, mostly tired except for BJ and Cog. However, Bell turned to face where the enemies once stood. ' _Why would so many choose to go here?'_ Bell thought confused, ' _It's like there's anything here…'_ It was then when the penny dropped. There must be something, or someone, nearby.

"Hey, Weaver!" Bell called, "can your wrist thing do a scan of the local area?"

"Of course, Belly," Weaver replied with a chuckle. And thus, she did. A whirring sound came from the device as a blue line went around clockwise on the screen. Again, and again, and again.

"I got something," Weaver stated after a few moments, "only a few minutes down the road somewhere in the deeper parts of the forest. Most likely a house of sorts. Quite big too!"

So, BJ climbed into the trunk and everyone hopped in before Weaver started the engine. The wheels screeched and span as she pulled off. As they continued, the dirt track became worse with larger pieces of stones making the ride more and more unbearable. The car jumped up and down constantly while swaying. Dust picked up from behind creating a smoke screen behind. No one was able to see behind.

Finally, the wild ride ended but everyone could see that they have yet to reach their new destination. Through the windshield, everyone could see that the terrain and obstructions that lay ahead would be impassable for Weaver's classy convertible. Weaver knew it herself and she exited the car. "This is as far as the car can go, I'm afraid. Beyond this point, we either get a monster truck..."

"... or we walk."

Everyone got out and Weaver checked the map on her computer. The radar blip was still a little ways off, but it should be reachable on foot. She lowered her arm, gazed towards the general direction of the their objective, and then knelt down beside her car. Dust, mud, and scratches covered the formerly-shiny rims and fenders and the ebon exterior had some traces of silt.

Weaver gave the hood of her car a pat and murmured something. BJ rolled her eyes and grabbed Weaver by her shoulders. "C'mon, your fancy-pants car will live. When we get back, you can go lovey-dovey with it all you want."

Weaver whirled around, cheeks flushed in red. "I.. I'm not like that! It's just a dandy car, that's all!"

With a mischievous grin, BJ waved her hand dismissively. "Suuuure. Whatever." Turning her back on the still embarrassed Weaver, BJ made an announcement. "C'mon! Whatever's out there ain't gonna blow its own head off! Let's roll!" Right after that, she marched to the location of the radar blip. Shrugging their shoulders, everyone followed her.

As they walked, the group found themselves heading deeper and deeper into the Turing Woodlands. The dense shrubbery and thickets made navigation difficult, as the overabundance of plants, tree roots, and inconsistent dirt made it troublesome to find a proper footing. It came to the point that the myriad of vegetation and twisting branches made it hard to discern direction. The Forest was known for its high presence of monsters, and the ever present cacophony of chirping and buzzing insects surrounding them did nothing to ease their sense of danger that could come from anywhere.

A cracking sound was heard and Cog frantically whipped her machine gun towards where she thought the noise came from. Her sudden action caused everyone near her to flinch but their fears were eased when a duo of sparrows flew overhead. Cog breathed a small sigh of relief and continued to move through the forest, although she remained apprehensive.

Between carefully traversing the forest, Weaver kept her eyes glued to the map. Everyone walked in single file: BJ took the lead, followed by Bell, Cog, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Weaver. So far, they weren't straying too far from their intended destination but once in a while she would pipe in and do course-correction.

"I hate nature hikes," Bell grumbled. Needless to say, nobody except for BJ was enjoying the trudge through the forest.

' _I'd hate to be in Nitroplus's shoes right now...'_ Weaver reflected, seeing as how the person in question was the only one wearing a skirt. She seemed to show no discomfort, but Weaver didn't want to imagine how annoying it would be to shuffle past waist-high bushes or deal with pesky insects in those clothes. ' _Those Cape Aspiration people and their sense of fashion...'_

 _*CRACK!*_

Suddenly, they heard an audible disturbance on their left side and for a split second, they all saw something move. It was too big to be a random bird. But before anyone could get a second to comprehend what that thing could've been, Cog whirled her weapon around and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"MOTHER HUBBARD!" Cog's shout was accompanied by a furious torrent of bullets as gunfire swept left and right. Bell, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Weaver immediately ducked low and tried to get clear from Cog's bulletstorm. Laughing, BJ joined Cog's side by pulling out her rocket launcher and began firing in the same general direction Cog was shooting at.

A great quantity of mother nature's labor proved to be no match for the hail of ordinance; bushes were vaporized, dirt was tossed up, and trees literally cut down and reduced to splinters. Amidst the commotion of battle, Cog continually shouted insults to whatever monster that dared to lay in ambush whereas BJ laughed and grinned in the ecstasy of carnage. The buzzing of bullets were subtly replaced with mechanical clicks of Cog's now empty machine gun. In response, she threw it at a clump of scenery that remained untouched and it promptly exploded.

Now out of munitions, the area which used to be part of the forest was now a clearing shrouded in smoke and dust. Cog had just materialized an identical machine gun and was poised for another round of violent landscaping when out of the smoldering pile of tree bark a hand waving a white flag popped out.

"Ehh…! D-don't shoot! I surrender!" a meek voice cried out.

Bell stepped in beside Cog and forced her gun down. "Hey! Point that down!" she hissed. Weaver and Nitroplus carefully walked through the devastated part of the forest towards the white flag. As if sensing safety in the lull of gunfire, a small figure slowly rose, still holding the white flag with both hands up. Everyone present saw that the figure was a girl whose round thick glasses and brown hair was coated in soot and dirt. Her clothes were also covered in filth; her shirt and shorts slightly torn in some places.

As the figure rose, her body trembled; still uneasy about the presence of the Devs. Both Weaver and Nitroplus held their open palms to the side to show that they meant no harm. "Uh, were you out here the whole time?" asked Weaver.

The bespectacled girl jumped in surprise, her expression of complete shock. "E-e-ehh… yes! Yes!" The unknown girl continued to have her hands raised, white flag in hand.

Nitroplus asked the question that she had in her mind. "Were you the one who made that noise?"

"Um, well..." the girl started to speak as she nervously glanced at Cog and BJ, who still had their weapons in hand. "... Yeah."

Weaver and Nitroplus both simultaneously turned to glare at Cog and BJ, who simply did their best to look innocent.

* * *

As it turned out, the object that Weaver's computer discovered was in fact a concrete cabin of considerable size, partially hidden among trees. The one-story building was a flat, square-like shape with sparse windows widely spaced between each other. From the ground, solar panels could be seen positioned on the roof.

Right after the incidental encounter, the unnamed girl they were questioning immediately bolted through the forest when Weaver and Nitroplus got distracted with giving Cog and BJ "the look". As the girl fled, Nitroplus suggested that they let her go but Weaver and Bell realized that the girl was headed towards the object that was detected on Weaver's wrist computer. Seeing as how they were in the middle of the deep forest with questions unanswered, it was agreed that they should at least investigate further. As before, progress through the forest was slow; how that one girl managed through it left them baffled.

Eventually, as they drew near their objective, they realized that, yes, the blip on the radar was in fact, house. One more suited to a paranoid survivalist looking to be free from "the system", but a house nonetheless.

Peering from behind a bush, Weaver ducked down and turned to everyone else. "Okay, I guess it really was a house." A quick sigh escaped from her lips. "So what should we do next?"

"Meat! She's a stranger whom we've given a bad first impression!" chirped Raw Meat. "I'd say we don't meat her for the time being."

"I would have to agree with her," said Nitroplus, who was still glaring at Cog and BJ. "Whoever she is, I doubt she would be in any mood to greet us warmly."

Weaver frowned. "But that house is what it found. Those Wumpossom we fought had to be there for some reason..."

She noticed how Bell seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the house almost analytically. "Hey Bell, what do you think?"

Bell kept her observation of the building for a moment before answering. "Like you said: that house was what your gadget found. The monsters back at the road might have been there for a reason. And yes, we did make a terrible first impression, but shouldn't we at least ask some questions? Besides, I think I have a feeling I know her..."

Nitroplus and Raw Meat turned to Bell, surprised. "Is that so?" inquired Nitroplus.

Bell thought for a second before shrugging. "I only have an idea - maybe 75% - of who she is. How about this: Weaver and I will knock on the door and if she responds, apologize and ask for some help. If not, then we can just walk away and get going like normal."

Weaver did a double-take. "Wait, why me?"

"Because if she might be who I think she is, I'm sure she might recognize us. We should be pretty recognizable Devs." explained Bell quickly. It took a second for Weaver to comprehend what Bell meant before she herself starting putting the pieces together.

Bell and Weaver stepped out of the bushes and making sure they looked as non-threatening as possible, they slowly walked to the building's front entrance. None of the windows were open so a possibility of a direct ambush seemed unlikely; still, who knows what this house occupant has in store?

One slow step at a time, Bell and Weaver made it to the house entrance: a metal door with scratches and slightly worn-down appearance accompanied by a "Welcome" sign.

So far so good, Bell gently rapped her knuckle on the door three times.

"Uh, hi? Look, we're not here to hurt you or anything. What happened back there was, uh, unforeseen circumstances." Bell let silence fall for a brief moment before looking at Weaver, confused. Weaver merely shrugged in response. Sighing, Bell continued. "Not sure if you know this, but there's been some monsters camping out on the roads some distance here. Do you happen to know anything?"

At first, no response. Then, a voice called out from somewhere above. "... Who are you guys supposed to be?" The voice resembled the girl's but distorted by a loudspeaker. Bell and Weaver looked up above the doorway to see a small black box.

Having made some progress, Bell continued talking. "Uh, we're a group of… 6; 4 of us are Devs. I'm Bell and I've got Weaver with me. Do you recognize us?"

The loudspeaker voice came again. "... Devs? I doubt it. Why on earth would two famous Devs be here for? That doesn't sound like something they would do!"

' _At least, she's heard of us. That's reassuring.'_ Bell thought sarcastically. Bell looked around the door frame but couldn't find anything that remotely resembled a camera. "Can you see us? You can see who we are for yourself."

No response. The loudspeaker remained silent, so Bell and Weaver took the answer to be a yes. Suddenly, a viewport in the door opened up and both saw the glint of the girl's round thick glasses staring back at them. Unlike last time, they were cleaned and Bell could see that they sported subtle swirly marks. She couldn't see much of the girl's face, but she could tell she was not quite pleased to see them.

Weaver and Bell could feel the girl glancing at both of them, almost studying them. The girl spoke. "I don't believe you guys. Again, why would you two be all the way out here?"

Weaver cleared her throat before answering. "It's a long story, but we were passing by. Besides, I can't imagine who or what else we could be."

The glasses girl on the other end remained unconvinced. "That's not enough! You could be elaborate imposters for all I know! Shapeshifters, even!"

Bell rubbed the edge of her nose, impatience growing in this charade. "Okay then, how about we prove to you that we're who we say we are? I doubt most imposters would know something only we would know."

Both Devs could see that Bell's proposition made her think. Finally, she replied, "Okay, how much does the real Bell weigh?"

' _Wait… how would anyone other than Bell know the answer to that? Any doppelganger could just lie,'_ Weaver realized. Her eyes turned to Bell despite already aware how this might turn out.

Bell didn't say a word as the question sunk in. Slowly but gradually, her cheeks started reddening and her gaze started to divert everywhere but straight. She mumbled something quiet and unintelligible.

The girl behind the door leaned closer (as much as she could). "... Come again?" she asked.

Fuming, Bell simply walked right up to the door viewport and whispered something to the glasses girl. Weaver couldn't hear anything, but once Bell was done, she immediately backed away with steam coming out of her ears. The girl on the other end stared blankly in empty space before she snapped back to reality and closed the viewport. Muffled clicking sounds could be heard and the metal door opened.

As the door opened, the same girl from before took a cautious step out. Unlike before when she was on the receiving end of Cog and BJ's violent deforestation project and covered in dust, the girl wore a shirt that had a grey-and-orange checkerboard pattern and a pair of grey jean shorts, all untainted by dirt. Like her clothes, her dirty blonde hair was fresh and apparent.

But what caught Weaver's attention the most was how the girl wore a headband that had two metal antenna; stems that wobbled with the girl's every movement. ' _Jeez she looks like a stereotypical alien...'_ though Weaver.

The girl looked at Bell, who was still embarrassed from revealing very sensitive information, and then to Weaver. Upon seeing Weaver, the girl quickly stepped in front of her and started pulling Weaver's cheeks in different directions.

Instinctively, Weaver slapped the hands away. "W-what the hell was that for, huh?!"

The bespectacled girl immediately took a step back and adopted an apologetic posture, looking away, holding her hands low, and twiddling her thumbs. "W-w-well, I was just making sure you really weren't an imposter of some sort. It's… uh, it's just you can never be too sure..."

Weaver massaged her cheeks and sighed exasperatedly. "Well, we're who we claim to be. Are you satisfied now?"

"U-u-um, yes! I suppose you two, um, really are Devs - prominent ones too..." stammered the girl, who shyly turned away upon mentioning the prominent part. Weaver could only give this girl a baffled look and then went straight to the point.

"So are you in the mood to introduce yourself?" Weaver half-asked, half-demanded. They were wasting daylight standing out here in the middle of nowhere.

The girl jumped up in surprise and started waving her arms around as she tried to form a proper response, spouting nothing but stammering and phrases that all tripped over each other. It took Weaver flicking her finger at the girl's forehead for her to calm down and put together her thoughts.

"Uhhh, everyone just calls me SPARK, with all capital letters… Um, not too sure who gave me that name but, um, that's what it is."

"SPARK?" Upon hearing the name, Bell was finally brought back to the present and whirled around to face her. "So this is where you were the whole time?"

Weaver looked at SPARK, but with a look of interest rather than insignificance. SPARK - another Dev - was living all the way out here? Many have heard of her games to cement her name among the Devs' ranks, but very few knew what she looked like.

She turned around to face the bush where everyone else was watching from and signaled them that everything was fine. They all emerged from behind the bush and made their way to the front of SPARK's home. Upon seeing BJ and Cog approach, SPARK starting fidgeting but Weaver and Bell quickly reassured them that they all did not have ill intentions.

"Relax everyone, it's just another Dev," spoke Weaver. "Everyone, meet SPARK here. SPARK, meet our buddies: Cog, BJ, Nitroplus, and her meaty companion."

For Cog and BJ, SPARK merely took a quick glance before turning away, no doubt that their first encounter was still fresh in her mind. As she turned away, SPARK noticed Nitroplus which elicited an odd stare as she was struck aback by her dress and aesthetics. But upon seeing Raw Meat, SPARK's jaw dropped. She approached for a closer look, adjusting her round opaque glasses. Her head slowly turned to Bell as her mind attempted to explain Raw Meat's presence.

"Okay, so, um, everyone tells me that aliens don't exist, so… what am I looking at here?"

Bell could only snicker at seeing SPARK's confusion. "You're looking at exactly what you think it is. Believe me, a lot of folks - myself included - had a similar reaction." Everyone save for Nitroplus and SPARK littly chuckled remembering how they felt when they first met their meaty companion.

But then Bell remembered something. "Hold on. What did you say just now? I mean, right before you asked what you were looking at."

SPARK scratched her head. "Um… aliens?"

Everyone turned to look at her speechless. Bell broke the ice by sighing. "So you must be the one the village people were talking about."

Upon hearing this, SPARK started fidgeting nervously and breaking eye contact. "I, uh… didn't know I was that popular..."

Cog rolled her eyes. "That ain't the point."

SPARK continued fidgeting for another second. "Um… yeah. That's why I wanted to check to make sure you two weren't, um, imposters." Weaver only looked at SPARK disapprovingly, memory of getting her cheeks pulled still fresh.

SPARK's head perked up. "Um… since you guys aren't all that bad, then, um… I guess I could let you in."

Bell's eyes lit up. "Sounds nice, I've had enough of trekking through this forest. Besides, I suppose you'd want to hear what we've been up to..."

* * *

The inside of SPARK's home was quite comfortable despite the reinforced concrete walls; everything was perfectly clean down to the lines of books dotting a high book shelf to chairs littering around the room. All of the cozy chairs surrounded loosely, around a low lying semi-transparent table. This too had books lying on it, clearly from the shelfs behind them. The covers ranged from theories on aliens, to one's that supposedly helped give predictions on daily stuff. Books on the shelves gathered no dust and were completely clean and dusted. Everything inside was mundane for a single-occupant home. Nothing stood out from the rest nor shouted in excitement. Everything remained still, just doing nothing, as if time had stopped around them.

"I, uh, do apologise for the mess," quietly mumbled SPARK as she quickly grabbed the open books before placing them on the shelves, "please have a seat. As you may have guessed, I uh… I'm not too used to visitors."

"When was the last time you actually had a visitor that wasn't some random lost guy passing through?" questioned Weaver as she took a seat closest to the door.

"Probably around… 5 years ago. Maybe more."

"Explains a lot."

SPARK headed into the kitchen where she disappeared from view. Wordlessly, everyone else made themselves comfortable around the living room table. Weaver placed her feet onto the table with a thud as the rest joined her. Cog sat to her right, closest to the bland wall. Bell sat in the middle, directly facing a painting of SPARK with an award of sorts. On other walls, there lay framed pictures of landmarks, whether manmade or natural, many of which Bell recognized.

BJ just sat on the table, kicking her legs on Weaver's chair. And finally, but not least, Nitroplus and Raw Meat sat on a chair furthest away from BJ and Cog. This was close to the books shelves where she grabbed a few and read the title before putting them back.

From what she quickly skimmed over, the books in SPARK's shelf were a peculiar combination: ordinary world history textbooks and documents (riddled with notes, bookmarks, and scribbles) alongside magazines describing various scientific trends. ' _I wonder why someone like her would be so eccentric...'_ wondered Nitroplus. She shifted her attention to everyone. Bell simply rested her head on the table, BJ was entertaining herself by digging the wax out of her ears, Cog stared up at the ceiling, and Weaver was typing something on her computer, presumably jotting down notes to inspire her next story.

The sight made Nitroplus reflect on her journey. ' _Looking back, the inhabitants of the mainland are far more varied than I thought. Many of my allies definitely seem like good people, and yet...'_ She quickly snuck a glance a BJ who was now leaning back on her chair, causing it rock back and forth. ' _... Are they - we - really the right people for this task?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clinking glass and ceramic, as everyone turned to see SPARK emerging from the kitchen holding a tray filled with several cups. She took one slow but shaky step after another and her arms struggled to maintain the tray's balance, explaining the way the cups were gently banging against each other. Her face bore the sign of uncertainty and anxiety. ' _She's a real clumsy one!'_ everyone exclaimed in their heads.

As SPARK drew closer to the table, one of her arms started to give out, and the tray started to lean. Sensing a mess about to happen, a few of the guests quickly stood up to help. Weaver left her chair and began to move, but as she lifted her leg, her shin and toes banged against the table leg which left her caressing it, hopping about one-legged in pain.

Cog and Nitroplus quickly moved to intercept but right as they approached SPARK, she yelped in surprise to their sudden movement and the cups came tumbling to the ground, spilling their contents over the wooden floor of her living room.

"Oh! U-u-uh… S-sorry about this!" SPARK drew her hands close to her as she could, as if afraid that they would fly away and do more harm with their clumsiness. Cog, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Bell all looked around to see if there was a towel nearby.

SPARK hastily retreated back to the kitchen and came back with a white wrinkly towel. She knelt down by the mess and began wiping. While the towel absorbed most of the spillage, it merely nudged some of it aside, spreading the mess outward.

"Aw shucks," complained Cog who saw the spillage spreading. She looked around and other than the window curtains and some table cloth, she couldn't find anything to clean the spill with. The same went for Bell and BJ.

"Leave it to me, meat!" Everyone looked to see Raw Meat throw herself face first onto the spilled liquid, the impact causing a light splash. Meat swept left and right, up and down. Everywhere she went, the liquids became absorbed by her body which was becoming moist and dark with each passing second.

Finally, the spill was erased, leaving behind only scant droplets and cups that had fallen off of the tray. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Nitroplus crouched down and gently picked up Raw Meat who was quite bloated and heavy from the absorbed liquids.

"Raw Meat, are you alright?" she asked, turning her partner over to see her face.

Raw Meat's smile never left. "Situation normal, Nitroplus! The meaty disaster has been averted!" Her voice maintained her optimism but was a little deeper thanks to all of the absorbed fluids.

Nitroplus gingerly picked up Raw Meat, careful not to apply any more pressure. "I will take her outside to dry," said Nitroplus as she gave everyone a quick bow and headed to the door, "this shouldn't take long."

The front door shut and all of the Devs stood in the living room, silently looking at each other, unsure of what to do next. Finally, Bell adjusted her glasses and spoke up. "Well, I guess the drinks can come later. Why don't you just take a seat for now, SPARK? We still got a lot to talk about."

A slight chuckle came from Cog as she flopped down on her chair. "Aw yeah. The 'ole mess started about a day ago when Belly and I found some package in an alleyway..."

* * *

The sun was already descending, painting the once-blue sky red and orange as the sun cast its waning rays. Crouched down, Nitroplus held Raw Meat out and squeezed her to evict all the absorbed liquids but at the same time, did so gently to avoid and harm. Nitroplus could only watch as the assortment of what would've been their drinks drip down into the dirt, one after another. The dirt darkened into mud. Eventually, the droplets formed a tiny puddle, spreading outward to the surrounding dry dirt.

It looked exactly like how the mess was made just before in SPARK's house, only this time she was recreating it.

Not a single word came from Nitroplus as she simply watched.

"Something troubling you Nitroplus?" Raw Meat's inquiry snapped Nitroplus out of her thoughts and she blinked to see Meat looking up at her. "You are meaty quiet right now. Something has to be on your mind, meat!"

Nitroplus paused, then she simply closed her eyes and smiled. She's known Raw Meat since they first met back on Cape Aspiration and likewise, Raw Meat's known her well too. There was no point in hiding it from her, so Nitroplus cut straight to the point.

"To tell you the truth… I've been thinking a little bit," spoke Nitroplus, the smile gone from her lips, "okay, maybe not 'a little bit' - it's more than that."

She took a breath before continuing. "I accepted this quest of destroying the rats to rid the PC Contient a major source of evil. They willingly chose to pursue evil intentions and perform evil acts, whereas we oppose them with good intentions. Naturally, that has to make us the good guys - the heroes, right?" Raw Meat nodded as she followed along.

Nitroplus turned her head, looking at the door. "And yet… it's the motivations of others that leave me doubting."

"You speak of the others?" asked Raw Meat.

Nitroplus nodded. "Bell and Cog were the first to join my side, with Weaver and BJ joining afterwards, but now I'm starting to wonder what real motivation they have. Did they really join out of altruism - a desire to protect this land? Or are they here for some other reason? Bell wanted to stay out and had to be convinced to join. Cog seems energetic but her methods are... reckless. I think Weaver is with us because she wants to make a story. BJ worries me the most: from what I've seen, I think she enjoys the fighting too much to be considered a hero."

"... Are we the right sort of people for this quest?"

Nitroplus turned back to face Raw Meat, now a little wrinkled but dry. "Sorry, I just couldn't help but look back and - "

"It's alright, meat!" interrupted Raw Meat. "I think it's perfectly natural to think this way when you meat other people. But that's what you have to remember: they're people like us! They're all meat in all shapes and sizes! More importantly, so long as we fight evil it shouldn't matter!"

Taken aback, Nitroplus could only stifle a laugh. Like her mood, she stood up and Raw Meat followed suit. Ever since the two met on Cape Aspiration before they agreed to embark on a heroic quest, the floating strip of meat that was her companion always seemed cheerful, understanding, loyal, and above all, wise. That mind of Raw Meat would always find some way to raise her spirits and show her that there was much to world - a world unrestrained by borders, people, ideas, or even dimensions.

Relieved, Nitroplus gripped the door handle. "I think it's time to check in and see how everyone's faring."

* * *

"... Wooow," SPARK breathed in awe. "So, um, that does explain why you're all together." Everyone sat around the living room table with a cup for everyone (Weaver volunteered to handle the refreshments this time). SPARK, who was leaning forward towards Bell as she debriefed the situation, finally flopped back on her chair. She had to take it all in: fighting the rats, meeting Nitroplus who was after them, the rat's piracy operations, how they might have influence on the east side of the continent, and to the present.

Bell leaned back and stretched her arms high. "Well, that's our story so far," she yawned. "Right when we were driving down the road, a bunch of Wumpossons got in our way. Do you happen to know anything about that?"

SPARK's eyebrows and antenna came up upon hearing Bell mention the monsters. "Wumpossoms? Uh..." she began as she put her hand on the back of her head. "... I'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with, um, me living here. T-they're like barbarians, you know? Allows trespassing and pillaging stuff."

"Figures," spoke Bell and Weaver simultaneously. There would be hell to pay later down the line if more roads get blocked by monsters, but first things first.

Bell continued. "Anyways, Nitroplus is interested in stopping them hence why we're here."

The front door opened and Bell peered to see Nitroplus and a now-dry Raw Meat enter. ' _Speaking of which...'_

Bell turned to face SPARK again. "To be perfectly honest, we're here because we got sidetracked. We'll be making ourselves scarce soon so we can trek it all the way to the nearest city on the east side. If you're looking to tag along, that's your call to make."

She yawned again and stood up to walk out of the room. "If you don't mind, I'll be using the bathroom."

A momentary silence fell upon the room as SPARK deliberated. As Nitroplus was taking her seat, Cog leaned in. "Don't know about you, but if you ain't got somethin' to do, might as well join in. Those rodents are definitely gonna be a pain in the ass."

"Hell yeah!" clamored BJ. "Those rat asses aren't gonna kick themselves, so might as well have some fun, right?"

Nitroplus quietly grimaced at BJ's words and cleared her throat, attracting SPARK's attention. "The rats are determined to spread disorder in this land with their illegal operations. Unless they are stopped, honest people and gamemakers will suffer."

Nitroplus then had a small epiphany. "You're a Dev too, aren't you? The pirated games will only serve to hinder your ability to live off of making or selling games. Besides, as a Dev, we could use your help."

The immediate response from SPARK was a blank stare and saying, "Uhhhh...". She glanced left and right to see all eyes on her, awaiting her decision. Eyes, seemingly full of judgement and anticipation, seemed to burn into SPARK so she shrunk from their gaze, lowering her head and playing with her fingers.

Nitroplus leaned back on her chair and decided to switch tone. "... Of course, if you feel unsuitable for the task, then you're always free to decline."

Unexpectedly, SPARK perked her head up, causing the antennae in her headband to bounce around. "I, um, might need some more time to think this through. But in the meantime, um..." She started to revert back to her nervous state. "... You can stay here for the night if you want..."

The suggestion paved the way for silence in the living room as everyone except for SPARK turned to look at each, seeking their opinions and verdict. Though no one spoke, the decision was unanimous.

Weaver stood up from her chair and started to walk to the front entrance. "If we're really staying here, then I want to get back to my car and make sure it's safe. BJ, you're with me."

"Aw yeah. I love me some romp through the woods; maybe we'll get to do what we did again," BJ laughed. "Just what do you need me for anyway?"

"Just shut up and follow me. I'll explain along the way."

The door shut, leaving Cog, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat alone with SPARK. SPARK was making side glances to her left and right, as though she was still unsure about her decision. Finally, she spoke up. "I-I'll show you where you guys can, um, rest for the night." SPARK paused before she very quietly muttered, "... should make you safe from the aliens..."

Cog hopped off from her seat. "Dunno about you, but I'm gonna find Bell and tell her what's up."

She hurriedly dashed to where the bathrooms were in SPARK's house. The layout was simply enough for her to find it and she came up to a door labeled as such.

Cog began banging on the door. "Hey, Bell! FYI, we'll be stayin' here for the night while Sparky here thinks about joinin' us!"

The reply came equally loud. "For crying out loud, it's occupied!"

* * *

As it turned out, there was far more to SPARK's home than previously assumed. In a small corridor, there was a staircase that led to the basement. What nobody anticipated was that the basement had multiple floors, all filled with hallways and multitudes of rooms. SPARK had just finished giving a brief orientation of the uppermost level of the basement that lay right beneath the house which contained separate living quarters as well as a dedicated public washroom.

"... Who did you hire as your contractor and how much did this cost you?" breathed Weaver, who was aghast at how extensive the first underground level was. They hadn't toured the deeper levels but she could tell that her jaw would only drop more.

"Uh… just me?" answered SPARK meekly. "Digging all of this out by myself took, uh, awhile but that's one of the perks of living out here - "

She was interrupted by Weaver who smothered SPARK's mouth with her hands. "Just… stop, alright? You're making my castle look bad." she whined.

SPARK wriggled free from Weaver, unamused. "Well, whatever. Pick whatever room on this floor you like. Two per each. I'll, uh, have something prepared for dinner..." SPARK hurried off to aboveground.

Everyone immediately split up and selected a room to stay in for the night. Bell and Cog resided in one, with Weaver and BJ occupying the room directly in front of theirs. Nitroplus and Raw Meat inhabited a living quarter beside Bell and Cog's.

The living quarters were a juxtaposition of homely comfort and industrial starkness. The rooms had carpet, a drawer, and white plaster walls and ceiling, yet the bunk beds were mere steel skeletons with a thin mattress and the center table was made of stamped metal made by the lowest bidder.

But out here far from home, any form of creature comfort was welcoming. Cog undid the backpack's straps and casually tossed it to the ground. The two of them flopped down on the lower bed, content to let all the wear and tear evaporate away. Bell opened one eye to stare at the ceiling light.

' _Ugh. One day spent away from my store. If I actually knew how long this trip would take, we should've flown to there and be done with it...'_ she thought wearily. Admittedly, Bell had been caught up in the whole ordeal back at Castle Wolf to really think of every possibility. That and she attributed her own lethargy for not thinking this entire thing through.

"Hey Bell." Cog's voice made Bell's head slightly turn. Cog was looking at Bell while both lay on the bed. "When was the last time you ever hauled your fine self outside Conderia anyway?"

Bell simply sighed and closed her eyes. "I dunno. Must've been ages ago."

Cog made a tired smile. "Heh. Just like your golden days, eh? If it helps, you can imagine this sort of thing as workout. Gotta burn all those calories you've stored up since - "

She was interrupted by Bell casually smacking her face. "Don't you dare start today," muttered Bell.

Further rest was cut short by knocking on the door. SPARK's muffled voice could be heard calling from the other side. "Um, you can come up. Dinner's ready!"

"Well that was quick..." mumbled Bell as she stood up out of the bunk bed.

Bell soon found the answer to her statement as everyone gathered again in the living room to find that their dinner consisted of microwaved meals wrapped in portable plastic containers. No one said a word, as a blank stare and expression of apathy was on everyone's face (except for BJ who began wolfing down her portion).

SPARK saw her guests' expressions and became apologetic. "I, uh, apologize for today's meal. Um, I'm just not used to actual cooking."

Bell pinched the bridge of her nose. ' _Oh great, this hits me a little too close to home...'_

One by one, everyone began to dig in. Within the first few minutes, BJ was the first to finish and SPARK had to go fetch for seconds. Bell and Cog ate without a word, well aware of how the circumstances reminded them of a certain Dev who dwelled within her own store. Nitroplus and Weaver ate their dinner without incident.

The sounds of smacking lips (BJ) and subtle chewing (everyone else) filled the living room; they were accompanied by the clicks of eating utensils and cups. One by one, everyone had eaten their fill and seeing this, SPARK lightly coughed, bringing everyone's attention.

"Um, so about your, uh, quest or whatever… I suppose there's nothing wrong with me joining you," she began. Everyone around the table looked at each other with a look of elation. Cog let out a small whoop and BJ let loose the slow clap.

Then SPARK continued. "However, I would like for you to, uh, do me a favor."

The small celebrations died down as SPARK's offer caught their attention.

Bell, who was sitting closest to SPARK's right, spoke up. "What do you have in mind? Something reasonable I hope..."

"No no no, it's not _that_ bad, I swear!" SPARK reassured quickly. "Thing is, for the past two weeks, I've found, um, something fishy going on in this forest."

Weaver played with her sidetail, intrigued and wanting to hear more. "Fishy? What do you mean?"

SPARK started lightly scratching her cheek as she began her recollection. "Okay, so you all know that the Turing Woodlands is home to all the, uh, wild monsters and weird things you might come across? Um, well one day, while I was out returning from my commute to the nearest village, I swore I heard this big thing flying overhead. The sun was kinda low and it flew by really quick so I couldn't get a good glimpse of it."

Her audience murmured amongst themselves before SPARK continued. "Well, uh, that wasn't the end of it. Since that day, I would see the same thing fly over on occasion. But I only got to see it happen at night. Also, I think the monsters near here have been kinda, how should I put it… acting up once that thing showed up. I don't know what it was but it something I'm sure I've never seen before."

"I mean, heck," continued SPARK. "Back then, I was making a small steel tower with a radar dish on top to boost my Internet connection. Then, uh, one night, I thought I heard something crashing and when I went outside the next morning, I found that the entire thing was, like, bitten off!"

"'Bitten off'?" said everyone in unison. SPARK just nodded in affirmation.

Everyone sat in silence, contemplating SPARK's story. After a couple seconds of pondering, Bell leaned forward and asked, "Okay, so maybe that 'thing' was the reason why we ran into some monsters back on the road. But anyways, even if you couldn't see whatever it was well, surely you tried tracking it down?"

SPARK thought for a moment. "Um, yes… and no. It tends to show up when I least expect it but when I do see it, I _think_ it flew in a certain direction… somewhere south of here, I think? But I never had any real opportunity to find where it goes."

Weaver put both her hands behind her head as she leaned back. "Sounds to me like some kind of flying monster. These woods are home to some bizarre stuff."

"An inexplicable monster? This honestly seems intriguing..." murmured Nitroplus.

"Whatever it is, I call dibs on killin' it," announced BJ nonchalantly.

"U-um…!" sputtered out SPARK as she frantically waved both hands in front of her. "Don't… don't judge me for this, but… I think it's some kind of alien."

The table fell silent once the words came out of SPARK's mouth, an expression of exasperation etched in everyone's face. Cog even gulped down her entire drink and deliberately spat it all out.

"Um… well, it doesn't _necessarily_ have to be a monster, right? Y-you said it yourself, these woods are home to strange things. So I'm not saying it's aliens, but… I'm just saying it _could_ be aliens, you know?"

Silence fell again. Cog began to reach for the nearest pitcher to refill her drink before Nitroplus stood up from her seat. "Regardless of what it may be, do you want us to - "

"Help me find what it is and uh… do whatever you guys want to to do with it," finished SPARK.

' _Find out what it is, huh?'_ thought Weaver as she noticed how SPARK's request made everyone forget the whole "aliens" thing and took it seriously. ' _This ought to be a good side trip.'_

Further discussion took place as everyone talked about the details of this expedition. At last, it was agreed that they would begin early in the morning, as SPARK believed it would be the best time to hunt down the unidentified object and to enable the Devs to continue their original journey eastward.

The clock in the living room struck eleven as everyone departed to their respective quarters for sleep. Whatever the thing that SPARK wanted to investigate, they would all need to be at their sharpest for the next day as they still had many obstacles to overcome in the future.

Little did any of them realize just how grand their future adventures will be.

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Wumpossom *****  
Wumpossom is the name given to a type of wild monster that moves on four legs and is covered in fur. If it were to stand on its hind legs, the Wumpossom would be as tall as the average adult. Although fairly easy to defeat in combat, Wumpossoms display surprising agility when moving and attacking; any who underestimate them can easily fall victim. It is observed that they hunt mostly via their sense of smell and even have a distinct odor.

Wumpossoms come in two variants: the smallest are the most frequently encountered but there exist Alpha Wumpossoms that are approximately twice as big with toughness to match.

Wumpossoms are exclusively found within the PC Continent. Gamindustri nations have shown no interest in introducing this species to their continent.  
***** End of Entry *****


	6. Chapter 5: Monster Hunting

**Chapter 5: Monster Hunting**

The bright morning sun shone high in the sky, bathing all beneath its gaze in almost blinding light and shrouding everything else in cool shadow. Everyone stood right outside of SPARK's concrete home, sweltering under the daylight sun as SPARK was busy locking the door. All of their belongings and bags were packed and accounted for; SPARK even brought along a small backpack of her own, which raised small questions among the Devs. How far away is their destination?

Weaver was busy typing something in her wrist computer, no doubt another journal entry. Her black classy car sat parked in the open just by the entrance, having been dragged there by BJ yesterday. All of the previous muck, dust, and scratches have been removed courtesy of Weaver's magic. The car's black exterior glowed, and in under the sun, made it blinding to look at.

SPARK came up to them. "Um, okay, are we ready?" she asked. Weaver wiped a small trickle of sweat from her forehead and replied, "Well, there's one major problem that's immediately apparent: where are you going to sit? There's only so much room before we really cram ourselves in."

Almost every pair of eyes went to BJ. "... And I highly doubt anyone wants to be stuffed in the trunk with BJ here," Weaver added.

BJ flashed her predatory-like smirk at SPARK which elicited a gulp from her. "... I think you got a point. Um, can't we instead open up the roof and, um, have some of us stand in the backseat?"

Popping open the driver's door, Weaver leaned in and flipped a switch. The clothed roof of her car folded inward and stored itself right behind the back seats. Making sure that the seats wouldn't fry her behind, Weaver sat down and started the engine.

"Well whatever. Let's get it on, people."

Everyone dumped their luggage in the trunk and went to occupy their desired space. Once again, Bell took the passenger seat next to Weaver while Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Cog took the back seat. BJ gladly went into the trunk as before. SPARK, trying to find space, barely managed to squeeze in in the back seat right behind Weaver.

Having finished starting up her car, Weaver turned around to face SPARK. "Okay, where to?"

"Um, there's a small clearing behind my house that, uh, should be wide enough for your car to pass through," answered SPARK. Weaver shifted the gear and propelled the open-topped car forward around the building.

The path that SPARK designated was concealed behind dense but flimsy shrubbery. Ahead lay a dirt path that would only be considered a hiking trail if it had been narrower and less flat. The car headed down along the path, with Weaver making sure they headed south as per SPARK's instructions while everyone else kept watch around them.

"Hey Coggie," called Bell from the front seat. "Try not to let a bird spook you like last time, alright?"

"Oh, screw off, Belly! It's not like you wouldn't have done somethin' if you were in my shoes!"

Bell simply snickered. "Relax Cog, I'm just pulling your leash. Besides, what're the chances we'll run into something that isn't a monster?"

"Now that you mentioned it, that is reasonable," mused Nitroplus. "However, we should still be careful; we won't know what's hiding out here."

Bell was about to say something before she was interrupted by SPARK shouting something and the car coming to a complete stop. The sudden deceleration brought everyone's attention to the front. Up ahead was an open field, but what caught their immediate attention was how little grass there was - in its place was instead upturned dirt and weeds. The field was pockmarked by burnt embers and imprints in the soil.

One by one, everyone exited the car and treaded carefully on the devastated field. Each step resulted in their feet slightly sinking in the loose dirt which they found was mixed with soot and ash. Whatever vegetation that wasn't rendered into complete ash was blackened and smoldering, the light grey smoke clouding the distance.

Nobody knew what to say to this. The smoke wisps irritated the eyes and noses of Bell and Cog. Weaver checked her map. They were just about one kilometer south of SPARK's home. She wasn't sure when exactly this field got burned down but whoever did it was long gone. She turned to find SPARK and found her gazing down at one of the many imprints in the dirt. Walking over to her, Weaver realized that they weren't just some kind of blast craters - they were footprints of something enormous.

"Ah, a smoking field," Weaver turned to see that BJ had gotten out of the trunk and joined them. "Sure ain't napalm but I quite like the smell of it, smells like… a party we missed."

"Yeah, a party that we weren't invited and weren't in a hurry to join," dryly remarked Weaver. "Hey, SPARK, you've been living out here. Can you think of anything that could've done this?"

SPARK looked up from her examination and adjusted her round glasses before shaking her head. Bell walked up to see what she was examining. Then she turned back to look at the field in its entirety before she made her assessment.

"Something big, and something that neither SPARK nor us know, had to come by and do this. Why, I don't know," she paused to look at the partly smoking ruins. "But I doubt that a monster living here would want to burn down the forest. In all likelihood, it's possible that - "

"That this was the work of that… 'thing' we're looking for!"

Everyone turned to look at SPARK who know stood up, her antenna upright and her expression confident behind her round glasses.

"It's exactly like what Bell said: it's likely the work of something that doesn't belong here. And if that's the case, then that means we're 93% to be on the right track."

Complete silence fell after SPARK made her assessment and several seconds later it finally dawned on her that everyone was gawking at her. SPARK felt her cheeks reddening as she realized that she put herself directly in the spotlight and reverted back to her clumsy self.

"W-well, you see, I… um, I-I was only..." sputtered out SPARK as she nervously tried to save herself from embarrassment.

Bell held out her hand to silence SPARK's babbering. "No, you have a point here. Whatever caused this isn't here right now, so I think we should move on." Everyone nodded and made their way back to Weaver's car.

Weaver pulled the car around the burnt field, maintaining their bearing south. But now that they've been made aware of something that could burn down a portion of the forest, everyone was on alert.

Cruising down another dirt path, Weaver slowed down as she saw an imprint on the ground identical to those back in the burnt field, alongside a couple of trees whose trunks have been snapped in half. The fragmented tear in the tree's bark was too jagged, too forceful.

Whatever caused it, they were definitely following its trail.

This time, Weaver drove at a more gradual pace, trying to make as little noise as possible to avoid attracting any unwanted attention now that they were following the thing. All along the path lay further evidence of something humongous and bulky moving through: more broken trees, trampled bushes, and more of its prints on the dirt.

And then, the trail took a right turn off the dirt path. Weaver stepped on the brakes, bringing the car to a halt as it's tires crunched the gravel beneath. The trail's new direction was headed straight into the deeper parts of the Turing Woodlands, in terrain unsuitable for the ornate convertible. If they wanted to follow, that left only one option.

"Well, guess we're walking from here on out," Weaver sighed as she turned off the engine and pocketed the keys.

As everyone was busy exiting the vehicle, SPARK trotted forward close to the thick line of trees that the trail led to and peered through. The thing's trail was in a straight line and wide enough for two people to pass but the abundance of overturned logs and ever-oscillating mounds of earth prevented her from seeing where the trail led to.

"Volunteering to take the lead?" SPARK spun around to find BJ standing right behind her, rocket launcher in hand. "Or you gonna let the big guns take point?"

"Um, no no no! G-go ahead, I'll, uh, follow along," sputtered SPARK as she hopped aside to allow BJ through with Cog at her side. After she finished applying a spell to protect her car, Weaver came next and SPARK followed, with Bell, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat bringing up the rear.

The group moved in their semi-box formation along the trail. Weaver kept her eyes on the map, which not only had her car's location marked down but also the sensor reading to detect any anomalies. Apart from the occasional blip of wildlife or an odd item, there was nothing too out of the ordinary. The sun still hung high in the sky and the trail made by the thing left was clear and mostly devoid of shade.

After what seemed like half an hour of hiking up and down dirt mounds and over fallen tree trunks, the excursion was starting to take its toll on everyone. A bead of sweat trickled down Weaver's nose as looked up at the sun and sighed. "Navigating this monster-ridden forest almost makes me wish for a nice cool winter apocalypse."

"What say we stop and relax in the meaty shade, meat?" suggested Raw Meat who seem unfazed by the sun or the walking. Everyone unanimously murmured an agreement and moved off the open path and into the tree line to rest.

Nitroplus walked to the side and leaned back against the bark of an old barren tree. Next to her, Bell simply flopped down on her back by the base of the same tree, seemingly exhausted. Upon seeing this, Cog walked over to her and leaned over Bell, casting an additional shadow over her face. From what she saw, Bell looked really winded out.

"Well I'll be, Bell! You look more worn out than wet squished-up Dogoo," Cog loudly commented.

"Ugh. It's been a while since I've done anything like this..." groaned Bell who started fanning herself by flapping her hoodie jacket to dispel the hot air.

"So who looks like a squished Dogoo now?" BJ made her surprise announcement as she came up behind Cog, curious to see what was going on.

"Cog was just making a loud comment," Nitroplus replied coolly. "We just need a few minutes to rest. There's nothing to worry about - "

"Hey Bell!" BJ shouted, ignoring Nitroplus. She stepped past Cog and knelt down beside Bell. "Sleepin' on the job? Man you really do look like a squished Dogoo!"

BJ lightly prodded Bell's stomach with her finger. "Whatever happened to the Bell I knew? I thought you would've been able to walk through Hell and back and not get burnt, like me."

Eyes closed, a slight twinge of annoyance flashed on Bell's face as she rolled on her side away from BJ's poking. "Meh, I just… lost interest…. Couldn't keep doing that kind of stuff forever, you know?"

BJ scratched her chin as she thought (quite a rare sight). Then, as she conceived an idea a smirk spread on her face. She cracked her knuckles and flexed her fingers. ' _Whatever popped up in her head, it must mean bad news,'_ thought Nitroplus grimly.

"Hey, Bell," said BJ. "Since you're dog-tired, why don't we make you useful?"

Bell turned her head and was about to ask what BJ meant when she was suddenly lifted up from the ground and hoisted over BJ's head. "H-hey! What're you doing, BJ?!" she cried out.

BJ's smirk grew into a slightly-crazed grin which exposed her sharp teeth. "Simple: find us what's around us that's worth looking at. All I have to do is toss you up and you tell us what you see. But don't worry: you're _technically_ not going anywhere!"

"What the hell are yoooooo..." The words out of Bell's mouth became lost and distance as she was rocketed upward by BJ's throw. Everything was a blur of green until Bell found herself far, far above the treetops, with the vast forest a mere horizon in her view. With no way of controlling her orientation midair, Bell could only helplessly wave her arms and legs, hitting empty air.

Bell made the error of looking down to see how everyone were miniscule and at the same time, felt the dreaded sensation of a freefall. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed, frantically trying to look everywhere but down. Her frenzied motions made her body spin and tilt in the air as she fell. She tried to see - to grasp - anything that could arrest her fall. But all she could see were trees, more trees, a flock of faroff birds, a rocky gorge, more trees, and -

 _*WHOOMP!*_

She landed on BJ's arms hard. The good news: she didn't hit the ground which would not be preferable; the bad news: she was in BJ's grasp yet again. BJ could only cackle like a maniac until Weaver's hand chopped her in the head.

"DUMBASS!" shouted Weaver.

"Hey, I was just entertaining myself. I haven't had the chance to make anything explode violently. Besides, I wasn't _intentionally_ trying to kill her; even a pencil-necked Dev would survive that fall no problems."

BJ's excuse was met by Nitroplus hitting BJ's head from behind. "Idiot! A good number of things could've gone wrong!"

BJ dismissively rolled her eyes. "Well excuuuse me, princess. Ol' Belly here ain't dead yet."

"But you are!" A hand smacked BJ in the face, courtesy of a very unamused Bell who finally caught her breath and wrenched herself from BJ's arms.

But all it did was make BJ laugh. "Well, all's well that ends well! So did you manage to see anything up there?"

"What do you think?!" Bell retorted while dusting herself off, knees still shaky from BJ's shenanigans. "Didn't catch a good glimpse of anything up there. If I had more time (i.e. not unwillingly thrown up into the air) I would've at least remembered something. Just trees, trees, and - ."

Then she paused. As she tried to recollect her brief memories of what she saw as she fell, Bell realized that she did see something of interest. Back then, for a split second, past the neverending field of greenery, she saw -

"... and some kind of gorge or ravine. I-It was wide and looked deep, but I think there was a cave down there."

Bell's statement caught everyone's attention. A cave within a chasm inside this forest? So far they haven't found the thing but if it can easily cause destruction in the forest, then surely it would make more sense for it reside away from it. Some place far from any prying eye...

SPARK quickly approached Bell with an anticipative look on her face. "Is it along the trail we're following? Or at least close-by?"

Bell racked her mind, trying to remember more details from her harrowing impromptu space program courtesy of BJ. "... I'm not sure. But if you're thinking what I'm thinking, then we should be able to find it."

Weaver brought up her map and tried to scan the surrounding terrain. The scanner beeped as it tried, but to no avail. Weaver scowled. "Map's no use. Practically the entire woodland is unexplored territory so we'll have to find it ourselves with our own eyes."

"I have a meat idea!" Everyone turned to see Raw Meat hurriedly dash to the center to float amongst the group. "What Bell saw shouldn't be hard to find for me! And I believe I already know where it is! Follow me!"

Raw Meat then flew further down the trail. The rest were somewhat doubtful but seeing as they had no other lead, they had no choice but to follow Raw Meat's lead, however improbable it may be.

Everyone followed Raw Meat as best they could, but the rough terrain means nothing to someone who is simply a floating piece of meat. On multiple occasions, Raw Meat had to pause and wait for the rest to catch up before dashing off again. After several minutes of running off, Raw Meat paused, scanning her surroundings seemingly looking for something.

"This way, meats!" called Raw Meat as she once again ran off but this time, went off the trail and into the clump of trees.

"... Really?" gasped Bell, words coming out between each breath. "Does… she even… know… where it is?"

"My partner has her methods," replied Nitroplus. The pursuit was beginning to wear her down, but she did what she could to hide it; no sense in discouraging others with a slight display of weakness. "I questioned it myself back then. But her intuition is reliable."

Bell mounted over a fallen tree log and found herself wading through a bush. ' _Would be nice if she took the time to explain it to us!'_

"Here it is, meat! Does this look familiar, Bell?"

They finally caught up with Raw Meat who floated in place over a small ridge. Taking a second to catch her breath, Bell trudged up the slope to see what Meat was referring to. She peered over the ridge and her breathing almost stopped as she stood in place, almost astonished by what she saw. Curious, everyone walked up the slope to see what caught her breath, only for them to replicate Bell's reaction.

Just beyond the ridge they were standing on was a great crevice, a rocky maw that made a deep scar in the earth in the middle of the Turing Woodlands. It's broken outline stretched out as far as their eyes could see. The area immediately surrounding the gorge consisted of jagged rocks that had been defiantly holding back the forces of vegetative growth.

Daring a small but very careful step forward, Bell peered down. Down below lay boulders amidst what appeared to be a dried-up creek. Scanning upward, she saw nothing but the bland grey-brown of sunbaked rocks and loose dirt until she found what she found something that confirmed her suspicions.

On the sides where the rock wall and ground met, there lay a large dark rift that led to places beneath the earth, away from the comfort of sunlight. The only thing that could've made the cave entrance's dark aura more obvious would be if the word "Menacing" would showed up next to it in big bold purple letters.

Bell pointed to it and looked to everyone. "Jackpot."

"That must be it..." breathed SPARK with awe in her voice.

BJ hoisted her rocket launcher on her shoulder. "Dibs on killin' that thing!" she called as she leapt into the gorge.

"Oh for… Aw, what the hell..." muttered Weaver as her shoulders slumped at BJ's antic as she hopped down into the gorge after her, jumping from one rock at a time. Everyone followed suit and gingerly made their way to the bottom.

BJ was already inside cave entrance before Raw Meat slapped herself in BJ's face, causing her to stop. "Hey hey hey!" shouted BJ, reeling from how unexpected it was to have a strip of meat slapped across her face.

Raw Meat escaped BJ's clutches and backed away from arm's reach. "Meat! You shouldn't run off into a strange place all by yourself!"

Rolling her eyes, BJ retorted. "Oh _please_. I've dived headfirst into more strange places by myself. You think a dinky little cavern's gonna take me out?"

By then, the rest caught up, with Weaver and Bell jogging up to BJ. "Correction: the cave's not going to kill you, but I imagine the _things_ inside the cave might," Weaver dryly remarked.

"And I sure hope you can navigate a completely dark and unexplored cave with no light," added Bell, gesturing to the cave tunnel that stretched until it ended in darkness.

BJ could only growl in mild frustration as she stepped aside and let Weaver and Bell through. The two of them peered in, trying to gauge the cave's depth and how they should approach it. As Bell thoughtfully stroked her chin, Weaver had an idea. She brought up her wrist computer and tapped some buttons, searching through its various options until she found what she was looking for.

A glowing light emitted from her computer. "Here we go! As if this couldn't be any more useful, huh?" Weaver said.

She walked to the front and into the cave interior. With natural light supplanted by natural darkness, Weaver waved the light around. Light shimmered off the stalactites and rock walls around her. Content, Weaver smiled to herself and made several more steps until…

She shone the light down the pitch-black tunnel, only to find that her wrist computer's built-in light was inadequate. The light failed to pierce the blackness of the cave interior. Looking around, Weaver could see that the most her light source accomplished was making a bright beacon and illuminating her immediate surroundings.

Weaver turned around to see Bell wear an amused look on her face. Shaking her head, Bell asked, "Alright, that won't work. Anyone got something stronger?"

"Um, I should have something..." said SPARK as she undid her backpack's strap and dug through it. After fumbling through the pack's contents, she pulled out a quartet of headlamps. She distributed three of them to Bell, Nitroplus, and BJ. She fastened the last headlamp on her head, adjusted the straps, and flicked the switch on. The light beam cut a swath through the shadows and darkness, exposing more of the cave. With all four headlamps activated, they collectively accomplished more than what Weaver had (she was not amused).

* * *

The group made their way deep into the cave, light beams lancing left and right all over both due to minimize blind spots and their users' curiosity as to what the cave held within. Everyone had their weapons drawn, including SPARK who pulled out an antiquated-looking crossbow. The tunnel walls reverberated the echoes of their footsteps and whispers.

The tunnel was huge, big enough for a dump truck to pass through with relative comfort. There was nary a sidepath, so the only choice was to go wherever the tunnel led them or leave the same way they came in.

' _Meaning we'll run into whatever big and mean thing we're looking for,'_ thought Bell. ' _That simplifies things.'_

Other than their own footsteps, whispers, and the sound of loose rock, there was nothing. Nothing but a team of five Devs, a vigilante girl, and her meat friend. Nothing but the cold rocks and the ominous features that accompanied them. Nothing but the darkness and the light that repeatedly cut through it. Nothing but -

"What was that?!" Everyone froze in place upon hearing Nitroplus. She was near the rear of the group to cover their back. Those with the headlamps reflexively whipped the light around to see Nitroplus's surprised face before quickly turning their lights to where she was looking at.

There was a small and narrow side passage hidden between two stalagmites. Rushing to Nitroplus and taking a closer look, Bell, BJ, and SPARK peered inside, piercing the shadow shroud with light and found…

Nothing.

The trio peered down the side tunnel again; perhaps they missed something? Other than the dancing light beams and their shadow partners, they saw nothing. Their shoulders slumped as they all turned around to look at Nitroplus in disappointment.

"Are you sure you saw something? Because none of us saw anything," chided Bell.

"I… I swore I saw something move in there," confessed Nitroplus who was still on edge. "I couldn't clearly see what it was, it was just outside of the light beam."

BJ scoffed heartily but with a touch of sarcasm. "Yeah, it must be. All those peaches and beaches of where you're from must've gotten to your head or something."

Weaver groaned. "I really hope it's a false alarm, because that wasn't funny." She pinched the bridge of her nose before she continued. "If you think you saw something, then how about checking it out?"

"Heh. Yeah, you first," chuckled BJ.

"Oh no, I nominate you," Weaver shot back. "Age before beauty, you know?"

"Idea! Why don't we split up so half of us go investigate and the other half stay here!" cheerfully suggested Raw Meat, seemingly unaffected by the tense atmosphere of a pitch-dark cave.

SPARK interjected. "Um, okay, so..." She paused to perform a quick headcount. "There's seven of us, so I guess four of us can stay here while three can go investigate."

Bell perked up upon hearing SPARK's assessment. "Uh, well if that's the case, I volunteer to be the among those who stay here."

Cog raised an eyebrow at Bell. "Well, if that's the case, suit yerself Bell. Guess I'll stay here and look after her and make sure she doesn't run off or somethin'..."

Nitroplus gazed back at the side passage for a moment, as if in disbelief of what she saw earlier. She was _certain_ that there was something in there - or was it? Sighing to herself, she realized that there was only one way to make sure; no telling what problem it would pose while they're searching for SPARK's target.

She made up her mind. "I'll join BJ and Weaver in the investigation. With any luck, it shouldn't take long."

BJ materialized her chainsaw as she, Weaver, and Nitroplus made their way to the side passage. Before she entered, Nitroplus turned to face Raw Meat. "Raw Meat, stay here and look after the rest, okay?"

"Right, meat!" complied Raw Meat. Nitroplus turned away and followed after BJ and Weaver, eventually disappearing from view in the shadows.

Silence fell upon Bell, Cog, SPARK, and Raw Meat as they stood around in the large cavern. So far, there's nothing here except for them and the sounds of their breathing. Nothing but the four of them waiting for their fellows to return from their outing. Nothing but the two light beacons amongst a world of darkness.

Absolutely nothing and no one but them.

… As if.

* * *

BJ and Nitroplus took the sides, sweeping the side tunnel with their headlamps, making sure they covered as much angles as possible. The light source on Weaver's wrist computer was weak compared to the headlamps SPARK provided, but one advantage it did provide was illuminating her immediate surroundings. As she took the middle, Nitroplus, BJ, and the rocky floor was bathed in an eerie dim light.

The side passage they were searching through was a lot smaller than the one they were in previously; they was no way anything as big as the thing they were searching for could be here. But as many would say, better safe than sorry.

BJ mindlessly twirled the chainsaw in her hand, sweeping the light back and forth. Since this morning, she had not had a chance to cause any destruction of sorts and it was boring her. Now that she was here searching for something that Nitroplus may or may not have seen, she was getting impatient.

"Grrrr, c'mon, is there anything here?" she growled. "It feels like there's nothing here!"

"What were you hoping to see?" Weaver asked, slightly annoyed by BJ's vocal frustrations.

"Uhhhh, a demon pig."

"I think we would've seen something like that already."

"An _invisible_ demon pig."

Nitroplus paused and looked down at what seemed like a long stretching and winding tunnel. She sighed in disappointment. ' _Was I really imagining things?'_

Weaver stopped alongside Nitroplus and shrugged at BJ's frustration. "I dunno. Maybe she really was imagining things or maybe she wasn't." She scratched her chin, thinking. "Hang on, let me check my scanner; maybe it'll pick something up."

"Huh. You and your fancy toys. Just give me something to shoot, smack, or blow up and I'll be satisfied," snorted BJ. ' _If it were up to me, I would've just blown this dump sky-high and be done with it,'_ she thought miserably. ' _... And we still ain't found that… whatever it is that SPARK needs killing.'_

As Weaver fiddled around with her device, Nitroplus glanced back at the tunnel they had just passed through. Nothing. She turned around and gazed into the tunnel that they have yet to pass. Again, nothing. She crossed her arms at what was starting to seem like a wild-goose chase. Maybe there really was nothing; maybe she let her nerves get the best of her, there are in a pitch-dark unexplored cave after all…

A rough slap ripped Nitroplus out of her thoughts as she whipped around to see that it came from BJ, her headlamp almost blinding Nitroplus. She didn't appreciate being interrupted like that and she adopted a scowl on her face.

"What?" hissed Nitroplus.

"What do you think?" retorted BJ, pointing her index finger at Nitroplus. "We're wasting our time here because _you_ thought _you_ saw something. And _we_ haven't found shit!"

Nitroplus narrowed her eyes, her expression cold. "And what about it? By not finding it, it's quite likely it doesn't exist so we have less things to worry about."

"Doesn't change the fact that we wasted time," BJ shot back. She started to turn to Weaver who stayed quiet. "Yo Weaver, if you haven't found it, let's get the hell out of here."

Both BJ and Nitroplus turned to find Weaver standing still, her eyes still fixated on her computer. She was exactly how she was before, except she wasn't fiddling with the controls anymore.

But what caught their attention was Weaver's face. Her eyes were wide and an expression of shock and fear spread across her face as she continued to look at her map.

BJ and Nitroplus slowly walked to Weaver. "Uh, Weaver?" asked BJ.

"Weaver, what's wrong?" questioned Nitroplus, afraid of knowing the answer.

Upon hearing the question, Weaver finally reacted by looking up. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the fear was palpable. "Uh, guys? Whatever Nitroplus thought she saw..."

As BJ and Nitroplus drew closer, Weaver's left wrist turned outward, allowing them to see what her device detected. On the screen lay a green square checkerboard display, their current location at the very center between two faint parallel lines of the tunnel walls.

And at one end of those parallel lines, there was a flashing circle. Every time it disappeared and reappeared, it drew closer to the center.

Closer to them.

"... There's definitely something in here!" finished Weaver as she gazed past BJ and Nitroplus and into the overwhelming darkness.

The two of them quickly spun around to meet the intruder, the head-mounted light beams arcing outward down the length of the tunnel. For a second, the lights revealed nothing save for the rocks lined along the walls and -

Wait, why was the air shimmering?

 _*WHACK!*_

All three of them found themselves bowled over and on the ground. Nitroplus grunted as she her back hit the rock floor and swore she felt a breeze move past her. She quickly rolled over and stood up, lifting her head at where that thing would be. Her headlamp lit the tunnel and again, she initially saw nothing but rocks, the cold floor, the walls, and -

The air near one of the walls was shimmering as it moved up along it to the ceiling.

' _... What the hell?'_ thought Nitroplus with disbelief. She pulled out her katana with haste and readied herself for battle.

The thing was amorphous; it seemed to blend in with the air and the lack of outline made it difficult to discern its shape and orientation. It seemed to crawl close to the ceiling, its movement erratic and jittery. Nitroplus wasn't sure what it was that she was looking at, whether it was some invisible monster or if it had a nebulous smoky-like body to begin with.

She watched as it crept along the ceiling and noticed that it was getting closer… a little too close. It suddenly leapt at Nitroplus who reflexively positioned the katana in front of her. What she expected was to block the unknown monster's attack with her katana - what she did not expect was to be knocked flat on her back with the smoke on top of her.

Nitroplus struggled, swinging her katana in a horizontal slash. She saw the blade slicing through the smoke and even saw it separate. But the smoke wisps reattached as though her katana hit empty air. In fact, as far as Nitroplus was concerned, it did feel like hitting empty air.

A smoke-like "arm" reached out and grabbed Nitroplus by her left shoulder, who instinctively tried to kick it. But like her initial attack, her foot went through the smoke with no visible effect on the creature. Responding to the ineffectual attack, the monster lifted her off the ground and started to carry her away.

Nitroplus swung her katana left and right, only to replicate the same effect as her previous attacks. Desperate, her left hand reached for where the creature was grabbing her, only to feel nothing but air and her own shoulder. Somehow, the thing was able to evade her touch yet physically harm her at the same time.

Something slender shot through the smoke creature and wrapped itself around Nitroplus's waist, forcibly pulling her in. Starting to lose composure, her hands reached down to the new attack, expecting to accomplishing nothing more than a futile struggle -

Except this thing she could feel; it felt metallic and hardened.

Nitroplus felt herself shooting forward into the smoke monster and for a brief moment, realized she was outside its grasp before she landed on solid ground in front of Weaver. Weaver's sword unwrapped itself from Nitroplus and straightened to its original length and composition.

"You alright?" asked Weaver.

"Y-yeah..." answered Nitroplus, still regaining her composure.

BJ stepped in front of everyone, chainsaw roaring in her hand. All light sources were shining on the unknown monster and as it shifted, everyone could feel its gaze upon them.

"You got some nerve, being a sneaky bastard you are!" snarled BJ. She jumped forward and swung her chainsaw down. With a loud ' _Clang!'_ its blade found itself embedded on the floor directly beneath the monster. "The fu - "

The monster grabbed BJ by her head with both of its "arms" before she could say another word. Growling, BJ pulled herself toward the ground and began swinging lightning-fast haymakers at the monster, to no avail. The monster attempted to pull BJ up but she managed to stay rooted the ground.

Seeing that BJ was in trouble, Weaver let her sword become whip-like and swung it around BJ's abdomen to anchor her. With BJ caught in the monster's grip and Weaver preoccupied with holding her down, that left only Nitroplus.

"Hey! See if you can find some way to harm that thing!" called Weaver who was exerting herself to outdo the monster's strength.

Nitroplus nodded and studied the monster. All conventional physical attacks were out the window, as they have all seen. Yet, the smoke monster had to exist in order to interact with them. And as a shadowy monster seemingly made out of smoke…

She thought of something. Readying herself, she sliced her katana multiple times from where she was. The sword hit empty air, but that was intentional: each swing launched a bright fiery wave that cut through the air and impacted the monster above BJ's head.

The fire waves dispersed the smoke wisps and even seemed to make let go of BJ. For the first time, they actually inflicted real harm to the monster which recoiled from Nitroplus's attack. Even though the monster lacked eyes, Nitroplus felt it direct its full attention to her as it glided past BJ and went straight for her.

"Dragon Fire!" A jet of flame went through the monster in its side, greatly causing its smoke structure to disperse before it recombined after the attack ended. Out of the corner of her eye, Nitroplus saw that Weaver had transformed the her sword back to its original length except the blade was wreathed in fire and smoke. It seemed as though she caught on quick to Nitroplus's plan to harm the monster.

The smoke mist that was the monster seemed to recede - the monster was retreating. It crouched low and crawled away erratically at full haste down into the deeper unexplored parts of the tunnel. The fight was seemingly finished, but BJ had unfinished business with her opponent, as she pulled out her rocket launcher.

"YIPPEE-KI-YAY YOU LITTLE SHIT!" she yelled as she let loose a couple of rockets after the fleeing monster. It was unknown if they hit their marks as the ensuing explosion knocked everyone back with hot compressed air and partially shattered the rock surfaces. A brief tremor was felt, upsetting the dust and particles from the ceiling as the earth groaned from the deafening explosion.

Eventually, the ceiling started to fall apart.

"Everyone, move!" shouted Nitroplus as everyone scrambled to their feet and ran like the wind back the way they came from. Loose slabs fell from the ceiling, hindering their escape as they ducked and weaved to avoid being hit by debris.

"BJ, you dolt! Using that was a bad, bad idea!" shouted Weaver as she ran.

BJ simply laughed as she ran. "Worth it!"

Soon, the trio was smoldered by a dust cloud as the rocks crashed to the floor, the disturbed particles having nowhere to go but be concentrated in the tight confines of the tunnel. Coughing on the dust, Nitroplus didn't dare slow down as the collapsing ceiling was encroaching them from behind. They continued to run at full tilt through the snaking corridors. Just how much of the side tunnel did they explore?

Finally, the headlamps revealed an opening - the way back into the main cavern! The final stretch, they can almost make it!

They sprinted to the exit as fast as they could, but the rain of rocks was intensifying. Weaver could feel pebbles pelt her shoulders, realizing that the collapsing ceiling was more or less right behind them, the roar of a cave-in drowning out all other sounds. "Must go faster must go faster..." she chanted exhaustively.

Finally -

They barreled through the opening where they were clear of the cave-in. Nitroplus and Weaver staggered as they slowed down and dropped to their knees whereas BJ retained her momentum to perform a power-slide. "YEAH! Elvis has left the building!"

Weaver panted, taking in fresh air not choked by dust. "Well, turns out, Nitroplus did see something. It was a stupid Gru - " spoke Weaver as she looked up.

She realized that Bell, Cog, SPARK, and Raw Meat weren't there.

As Weaver looked around to find them, a deep rumbling noise at their side. As she turned her head towards the source, the first thing she thought was how odd it was to be looking a wall where an open tunnel used to be.

Then she realized, it wasn't a wall she was looking at.

It was the very thing that they were all looking for in the first place, and Weaver was staring at its backside. Between its legs and long tail, she could see Bell, Cog, SPARK, and Raw Meat backed away from it, weapons drawn.

As the gigantic monster turned its head around to gaze at the trio was its cold reptilian eyes, only one thing crossed Weaver's mind.

' _... Shit.'_

* * *

A COUPLE MINUTES EARLIER…

"... Okay, okay. Now for my next impression, can you guess what this is?"

Bell rolled her eyes at the shadow hand-puppet Cog was making using the light from both her and SPARK. It had only been at least half a minute before Cog started fooling around. Despite being in a large dark cavern under the Turing Woodlands home to probably whatever nasty thing they're looking for and despite all logical reason to be on their guard, Cog still found time and place to play games.

A shadow fluttered across the light beam. It hung in the air, an ill-defined shape that awkwardly flapped its "wings". Bell looked at it half-closed eyes and yawned.

"It's another of one your birds but with mental illness this time."

"Ugh," loudly groaned Cog who let her arms drop in frustration, causing the shadow to disappear. "Does everythin' look like a bird to you, Bell?"

"Um, to be fair, they all do look like birds..." replied SPARK nervously.

"Indeed," added Bell. "So far, we had one with obesity, one that looked like it had personality disorder, one that looked like it was born prematurely, and now one with mental illness."

Cog turned away, shrugging. "Whatever. Y'all are no fun." She glanced toward the side passage, illuminating some of its interior in light. "They better not take too long."

Bell looked to the same side passage before glancing away, letting her light uncover more of the cave they were in to cover their blind spots. "I'm sure they'll be back. Whatever Nitroplus thought she saw, I doubt it'll be any trouble since they have BJ with them." She turned her eyes on SPARK, who had her back to Bell and was making herself busy by mimicking Bell's action.

"So assuming that this thing - or alien - is down here, any ideas what it'll look like?" asked Bell.

"W-w-wha-?" sputtered SPARK, seemingly caught off-guard by the question. SPARK turned around to look at Bell before she almost got blinded by Bell's headlamp, yelping in surprise. Bell sighed as she turned away from SPARK to prevent further blinding. She asked again.

"So, yeah. Any idea what this thing looks like?"

SPARK recovered enough to answer cohesively. "Um, other than the fact that it flies and that it must be huge, let's see… Oh! It has to be able to breathe fire, otherwise that burnt field wouldn't have happened!"

Thinking back, Bell realized that the last point would have be logical. So far, the "alien" is presumably huge thanks to its footprints, it can fly, and it should be able to breathe fire.

' _Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like - '_

"Meat! I can sense something!" Raw Meat's call brought everyone's attention. Meat was facing towards the tunnel that they had yet to explore and all eyes (and light) was concentrated there. Everyone waited with breaths held and weapons readied, waiting for something to emerge from the darkness that their lights couldn't pierce through.

Seconds later, a slow but steady cadence of gusts of blowing air was heard, accompanied by the constant rhythm of something heavy. Yet, the source didn't show itself.

Everyone continued waiting for the next few tense seconds. The sounds continued to resonate off the walls around them, yet they continued to see nothing but the lit corridor and shadows. Whatever was causing those sounds was definitely somewhere deep in the caves.

Another couple seconds passed. Still nothing.

Bell quickly glanced to her left and right to see that everyone else was more or less doing the same thing. An expression of anxious confusion was on everyone's face. The thing has yet to show up and chances are they could use that time wisely.

"... Okay, so that thing still hasn't shown up," Bell whispered. "I think we should really come up with some strategy. Like, right freaking now."

"Um, right," SPARK whispered back. "Uh… ooh, idea!" She quickly took off her headlamp and fastened it around Raw Meat as tightly as she could. "Uh, we could use Raw Meat here as a distraction while we, uh, hide behind whatever rock formation we can find."

' _An ambush. Makes plenty of sense...'_ thought Bell. She flicked off her headlamp. "Alright, you heard her. Find something to hide behind, quick!" She turned to Raw Meat. "As for you, you don't mind being the bait, do you?"

"No worries, Belly!" replied Raw Meat, quiet but still cheerful.

But before anyone could disperse, they heard a different sound. Somewhere in a different direction, the quartet heard the sound of deep rumbling, as if an avalanche has been unleashed somewhere inside the cave. The rumbling sound continued, crescendoing over time until it was impossible to ignore. Raw Meat, now the only light source, turned towards the side passage where Nitroplus, Weaver, and BJ went.

"Did… something happen in there?" rhetorically asked Bell.

"Sounds a little much for chasin' after a ghost," snarked Cog.

"Meat! We need to focus!" chirped Raw Meat. "My senses are most definitely telling me that the thing - "

As she swung the headlamp back to the end of the tunnel, everyone was presented with the sight of a quadruped behemoth blocking the tunnel, its scaly hide glittering partially from the lamp's glare. But the thing's cold emotionless eyes glared back, reflecting the light off and augmenting its terrifying appearance. As the quartet laid eyes upon it, the monster lowered its head, revealing a long snout adorned with rows of jagged teeth; on its head rested two stubby horns. The fringes of light betrayed the presence of two large wings folded in on the monster's back.

They were face-to-face with an giant dragon and the dragon was face-to-face with them.

Then it roared.

"OH NO, IT'S HAPPENING, IT'S HAPPENING! ABORT! ABORT!" screamed SPARK as she figuratively crapped her pants and ran. As she did, the rest backed up to put distance between them and the dragon. Cog opened fire with her machine gun, peppering the the dragon's head with a hail of bullets.

The thick hide prevented the bullets from doing much damage, as some of them harmlessly deflected off. But the bullet barrage was like a shower of gravel being poured on one's face: nonlethal, but quite annoying. The dragon's slit-like pupils narrowed at Cog and roared at her.

Cog ceased fire and paled now that she attracted the ire of the giant monster. She started to flee as the dragon roared again and chased after her. But before it got anywhere close to Cog and Bell, the dragon was blinded by a bright light. It reflexively swiped in front of its head in hopes to remove whatever the light was coming from, but it missed - rather, the light seemed to actively dodge and weave from the dragon's grasp.

Upon seeing the dragon distracted, Bell and Cog stopped in their tracks to see Raw Meat with the headlamp strapped to her hovering around above the dragon's head. During the initial confusion (and terror), Raw Meat must have subtly snuck around close to the walls.

"What're you waiting for?" Bell tapped Cog in her arm with her crowbar. "Let's give it all we got!"

Cog aimed her weapon and fired bursts, avoiding the head and for the more exposed underbelly and forelegs so as to avoid hitting Raw Meat. Bell pulled from her jacket pocket what appeared to be a plump lemon and threw it at the dragon, the object break apart on impact and dowsing the dragon in what appeared to be harmless fluid, but inflict a burning sensation to the dragon. Even SPARK got into the act, firing bolts from her crossbow.

But as the dragon reacted to the damage, it involuntarily raised its profile, striking the cave ceiling with its upper back and head. It momentarily dislodged some stones from the ceiling, causing them to fall directly in front of it. Unfortunately, one of the fist-sized pebbles struck Raw Meat and sent her careening back to where everyone else was. Now free from the blinding light, the dragon shook its head clear from the blinding effects and fixated back to the three Devs and their meat companion.

And in that instance, there came a rumbling sound from the side passage behind the dragon and from it came out Nitroplus, Weaver, and BJ who were running at full speed before the first two came to a weary stop. BJ let out a yell of some kind and the unexpected noise brought pause to the dragon. It casually turned its head back to stare at three new intruders behind it, and seeing the new threat, Nitroplus, Weaver, and BJ quickly got back on their feet and prepared for battle.

Flanked on both sides in a tunnel, the dragon had no choice but to fight its enemies in a semi-awkward fashion. The dragon attempted to sweep away its rear opponents with its tail only for BJ to offhandedly deflect it with a single punch.

"Yeah, bring it!" BJ taunted at the top of her lungs. "Big guy, big guts! C'mon, BRING IT!"

With the dragon still facing away from them, Bell realized that they needed to use this opportunity. Problem was, most of their attacks weren't doing enough to damage the dragon. They need something to hit the dragon hard, something powerful or...

She glance upward to see the stalactites directly above the dragon, some as small as a forearm but some as big as a cars.

' _... or we need something big.'_

"Cog!" Bell called as she pointed to the stalactites. "See those things right above that dragon? Shoot 'em down, will you?"

Cog blinked and looked up to what Bell was pointing at before glancing back at the dragon. As she put two-and-two together, a grin spread across her face. She cocked her gun and aimed to the ceiling before squeezing the trigger. A burst of bullets splattered micro-explosions against the ceiling rocks, displacing dust and debris until finally, a few of the large stalactites were free and fell on top of the dragon.

The dragon roared in pain as the rock formation crashed on its back and its wings. It swung its head towards the front to glare at Cog (' _How the hell does it know?!'_ thought Cog) before it opened its mouth and bellowed out a stream of fire that filled the tunnel with incandescent light and acrid smoke. Bell and Cog leapt away, dodging the flame but feeling the intense heat.

"Hot-hot-hot-HOT!" yelled Bell as she skipped away from where the fire was, as if the fire would now follow her.

The dragon readied itself for another firebreath before a series of explosions rocked its hind, causing it to slightly tremble. Behind the dragon, BJ had her rocket launcher in hand before Weaver laid her hand on it. "Hey, hey! Let's try not to make a repeat of last time!" she yelled.

BJ's response was to roll her eyes and huff as she discarded the launcher. As the dragon was trying to recover from the last attack, Nitroplus had closed in to slash its hind legs, constantly moving to avoid retaliatory strikes from the dragon's tail and legs. BJ revved up her chainsaw and threw herself onto the dragon's back, clinging onto one of the spines running along the back.

Although the dragon's skin was made of tough leather-like material, the damage was beginning to take its toll and the presence of an annoying pest on its back was the last straw. Despite the close confines of the cave tunnel, the dragon hurriedly turned around and head the way it came from. The sudden turnabout dislodge much of the walls and its mad dash back into the deeper parts of the cave left everyone scrambling to get out of harm's way.

Yet, over the cacophony of falling earth and the beast's thundering roars, BJ's maniacal laughter could be heard as the dragon beat a hasty retreat.

' _Oh bother...'_ thought Bell gloomily as everyone quickly gave chase. As they pursued, the din of havoc was ever present and the way the tunnel only had two directions meant that it was only a matter of time before they caught up to the dragon. Even then, the dragon left behind conspicuous prints behind in its wake which made tracking it stupidly easy.

As they headed deeper into the cave, the tunnel grew wider and wider until at last, the sound was at its loudest. Upon turning the corner, everyone was greeted to the sight of the dragon being thrown across cave. The monster collided with a far-off wall where it withered. Laughter was heard in the opposite direction and the lights turned to see BJ casually walking toward the dragon while cracking her knuckles.

A quick glance revealed that they were somewhere near the very end of the cave, inside a colossal chamber that had a tinge of a certain scent, almost as if it was inhabited for a considerable amount of time. But what caught their eyes were the sharp glitters throughout the ceiling and walls; wherever the light shown, the rocks twinkled back like stars.

' _Crystals,'_ Bell realized. ' _Two points for interior design, that's all I have to say.'_

The dragon had ceased writhing now that it regained its footing. As BJ drew close with her chainsaw in hand, the dragon shot out a jet of flame from its mouth. BJ jumped back out of the flame's reach and the dragon continued to breathe fire.

Before it could adjust its aim and breathe fire again, an explosive grenade impacted against its head, stunning it. Bell, Weaver, Nitroplus, Cog, SPARK, and Raw Meat joined BJ's side and formed up against the dragon. The dust cleared and the dragon, wounded and severely irate, glared at all of them.

As one, everyone began their assault on the dragon. BJ bounded high into the air, chainsaw overhead to strike the dragon from above. The chainsaw teeth came into grinding contact with the dragon's hand as it attempted to block, causing BJ to bounce off and land. Machine gun fire and crossbow bolts riddled the monster's torso. Two different swords hacked and slashed the hind legs. Whenever the dragon tried to focus on the whatever the biggest threat was, rocks thrown from Bell and blinding light from Raw Meat perpetually harassed it.

Finally, the dragon was at its wits end. Letting loose a defiant roar, the dragon finally had the chance to stretch its wings and started thrashing them. The beating wings generated a strong gale, threatening to knock everyone back. With great effort, the dragon was lifted off its feet and achieved flight.

"... Should've known," muttered Bell, although only she heard her own words as the howling wind gathered strength.

The ones closest to the dragon, BJ, Nitroplus, and Weaver, took the brunt of the wind. The breeze undid their footing and blew them back. Once they were clear from the dragon's close proximity, they were able to regain balance and hold their ground.

The dragon continued to hover in the air, flapping its large wings and blowing the team back. Once it lifted off at a maximum possible height within the enormous cavern, the dragon began to encroach the Devs and their allies. As it flew close above their heads, the dragon suddenly dived.

"MOVE!" shouted Cog. Everyone scattered to the best of their abilities to escape the dragon's attempt to crush any unfortunate victims. Once out of harm's way, Cog and BJ raised their ranged weapons only for the dragon to flap its mighty wings again, blowing everyone back away from it and lifting off.

"I don't think so!" Weaver declared as her sword instantly lengthened to stab one of the dragon's flapping wings. The dragon roared in pain and immediate fell back to the ground. In retaliation, the dragon responded with its fire breath, almost toasting Weaver, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat.

Bullets and rockets pelted the dragon, the latter of which caused considerable harm to the dragon before both weapons fell silent from lack of ammunition. BJ tossed the smoking launcher aside in favor of her chainsaw while Cog threw away her empty machine gun before pulling out an identical one.

But with their major damage-dealer out of the game, their chances of winning has decreased.

Bell knew it and didn't like it. Close combat would only get them so far and the same applied for bullets as the dragon would be too tough for them to efficiently defeat it with such weapons.

And with the dragon making use of its fire breath, even melee weapons wouldn't serve them well. Bell looked down at her crowbar with chagrin. ' _Next time someone asks me to go on an adventure, I'm going to pack more than this!'_

In her peripheral vision, Bell noticed SPARK standing near the edge of the cavern. Her crossbow was slightly lowered but behind those thick round glasses of hers she seemed to be analyzing the dragon.

Bell quickly made her way at SPARK's side. "Hey! Whatever it is you're doing, I hope you got a good plan!" she yelled.

SPARK jumped at Bell's presence as one who got snuck up on. She quickly faced Bell and back to the dragon before looking back to Bell. "... I have an idea that might work. At least 91% chance of success," replied SPARK, most of the awkwardness and stutter in her voice gone and replaced with calculating deliberation. Glancing down at her crossbow, SPARK loaded in a bolt that had a dull purple tip.

Bell ducked as BJ flew past her and collided with a boulder only for her to scoff, get up, and throw herself back into the fray. The cavern briefly illuminated orange as the dragon bathed an area in fire. ' _Whatever's up your sleeve, now sounds like the good time!'_

SPARK raised her crossbow and fired a bolt which embedded itself into the dragon's side. She reloaded and fired again. And again. And again.

Eventually, the dragon began to notice something pricking in it and just realized the presence of a handful of crossbow bolts buried into its skin. The dragon swiveled its head left and right, trying to find the source. Unable to find the culprit, it merely roared in frustration and deemed everyone responsible. It cocked its head back, inhaled, and -

And fell over, its head and limbs going limp. The dragon's muscles relaxed and refused to listen to any brain signals. It slumped as a marionette would if the strings were severed. As the dragon's head crashed to the ground, the last thing it's mind asked was why the collision was devoid of any sensation.

Everyone watched in amazement as the beast collapsed on its own. Small puffs of dust was raised by the force of a behemoth body giving way to gravity on its short descent to the ground. Sensing its weakness, BJ ran up to the dragon and kicked it hard in the head, only to find it unresponsive.

Nitroplus could only stare in awe as she breathed heavily. "... Did we finally do it?"

Cog scratched her head with her weapon's handguard as she replied. "... Sweet gravy, I think it's dead! It ain't movin'!"

"Hold up," announced BJ as a smirked. She wrapped her arms around the dragon's neck and arched backwards. By doing so, the dragon's mass was pulled in toward and over BJ who acted as the center of rotation. Like a door swinging on its hinge, the hulking mass of the dragon was lifted right over BJ, its tail scraping the ceiling. Then, just as suddenly, the dragon fell through behind BJ, hurtling back down to earth on its back. The entire cavern trembled and cracks formed at the point of impact.

BJ untangled herself from the dragon and dusted her hands. "Now it's extra dead!" she proclaimed triumphantly. "And for the record Weaver, I freaking suplexed a dragon! You better put that in your story!"

Exhausted by the whole ordeal, Weaver could only put on a bemused smirk. "Suuure. I'll try to remember to put that in."

"Good!"

The dragon's body began to saturate into light before it turned bright white. Then, the body dissipated, leaving behind nothing but yet-to-disappear light rays and a small crater in the ground.

As everyone began congratulating on the victory, Bell peered towards SPARK who seemed unsure as to whether to join in and risk being in the center of attention or to stay out and not get put on the spot. ' _Huh. She was serious before but now she's back to her usual self. Guess she just can't help it, I suppose.'_

She glanced to where the dragon's body previously occupied, thinking back to what SPARK's plan was. ' _Those bolts she pumped into the dragon, they couldn't have been ordinary ones. Let's see: a handful managed to stick themselves onto the dragon, then it drops dead seconds later...'_

It then dawned on Bell, as she pieced together the evidence. ' _Of course. Stuff like that is what her weapon can do.'_

Bell looked to SPARK until she realized that she was looking at her. SPARK jumped in surprise under Bell's gaze, only for Bell to give her a small thumbs up and a wink. Confused, SPARK could only reply with a half-hearted wave.

"Oh my! There's something quite meat up here!" Raw Meat's announcement brought the celebrations to an end as they looked around to see her floating on top of what appeared to be a large stone pedestal tucked away in the far corner of the cavern. Curious, everyone made their way over to where Raw Meat was and climb up to see what she saw.

The top of the stone pedestal was carved in a bowl-like shape. Near the bottom, the headlamps illuminated a mess of tangled grey strands and objects. Despite the splotches of obsidian, the mess reflected some of the light back at them, giving the impression of polish. Upon close inspection, the objects' composition was unknown, yet at the same time familiar and not of nature.

But SPARK seemed to know the answer. "Hang on! That… that's the tower I made a while back!"

A resounding "Huh?" came out as SPARK made her claim. She reached in with both hands and, with some difficulty, fished out a circular object. Although flat, corroded, and dented in many places, it was obvious that the object was man-made; it was a satellite dish.

The revelation made most fall to silence as they pieced together the answer. "... So you're telling me that the dragon we fought was your 'alien'?" asked Bell after a second of brooding silence.

Despite the opaque glasses, everyone could see SPARK glance to the side, nervousness building inside her. "Uh… yeah. I… guess it really wasn't an alien in the end, huh?"

"... I really hope we didn't accidently start an intergalactic war."

* * *

"... Well that felt like a big waste of time," muttered Bell as they made their way out of the cave and climbed out of the gorge.

"Meh," Cog replied as she stretched her arms and back. "It kinda felt badass, so I reckon it wasn't a waste of time."

As they exited the cave and returned to the forest, the midday sun had already begun to set, casting the bright green forest with elongated shadows. In the grand scheme of things, they weren't even halfway through the PC Continent, yet at least an entire day had been spent.

En route back to Weaver's car, Nitroplus turned to SPARK. "Earlier, you mentioned how you would join us on the condition we help you with your favor. And now that it's been taken care of..."

"Um, yeah. About that..." began SPARK. Everyone continued walking, but there was no doubt others were listening in.

"Um, to tell you guys the truth, my favor wasn't really the reason why I would, uh, tag along."

Everyone stopped in their tracks, gaping at SPARK upon hearing the revelation. They help her with a favor and she would join them. But now it turned out that there was more to it? Something else they need to do? Something that SPARK kept hidden from them?

Bell turned her whole body to SPARK with hands in her jacket pockets. After all they've been through, the last thing she needed today were new favors "conveniently" unmentioned. "What do you mean?" she asked seriously.

SPARK fidgeted before giving her answer. "Well, uh, as you might already know, there's not a lot of people out here. And, um, branching off of that, I don't interact with much people."

The small reactions made SPARK hesitate, but she knew she had to get straight to the point. "So, the point is… I didn't plan on joining you guys because I needed help with a favor. I, uh, was interested in going with you just because… why not? You guys look cool to hang out with."

Like before, the reactions were subdued, but SPARK could see that her words stirred something within everyone. She revealed that, as clumsy as she was, she sought no other honest desire than to embark on a journey among others like her.

Nitroplus stepped in front of SPARK and held out her hand as she smiled. "You're more than welcome to join us, SPARK."

SPARK looked at Nitroplus's outstretched hand with slight nervousness, before she smiled sheepishly and returned the gesture. They shook hands - another companion in the quest to protect the PC Continent. As SPARK looked up to meet Nitroplus's gaze, she saw the looks of approval from Bell, Cog, Weaver, and Raw Meat. Even BJ gave a wolfish grin at SPARK's inauguration.

As they let the formalities end and resumed walking back, Weaver lightly poked SPARK in her shoulder. "You're more than welcome, but space's gonna be tight on my car. Be on your best behavior or you'll be joining BJ in the trunk."

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Gru *****  
Elusive shadowy enemy that is found only in uninhabited dark places with little to no light. Evening venturing in areas that have confirmed sightings of Gru would only make their encounters rare. Physical description (shape, height, other physical characteristics) are mostly unconfirmed due to the dark nature of their home environments and the fact that they resemble sentient smoke in a vaguely humanoid outline.

The composition of a Gru lends itself an advantage in a fight, as almost all conventional physical attacks are ineffective; they will accomplish precisely as one would when fighting actual smoke or gas. Despite this, Gru are still able to interact with physical objects which continues to leave experts unsure as to how it's possible. Field reports indicate that more unorthodox attacks are the best methods for fighting them.  
***** End of Entry *****


	7. Chapter 6: A Librarian's Trail

**Chapter 6: A Librarian's Trail**

Bell laid down on the soft bed, her gaze fixed to the ceiling of their motel room as she pondered. It was late evening by the time they returned to Weaver's car, got it out of the forest, and found their way back to the road. They'd already spent a night in the Turing Woodlands and frankly, Bell wasn't interested in spending another night more. The sooner they got to the eastern side of the PC Continent, the sooner they would find the rats and subvert their piracy operations.

And the sooner they done that, the sooner she could get back home and not give a care in the world other than game sales. And sleep. And playing games. But more importantly game sales.

Thankfully, there happened to be a sleepy motel along the route and they all managed to check in to rest for the night. Bell took a cursory glance to her left and saw Cog sitting on her bed reading online comic books from her phone. Bell saw Cog stifle a giggle before she continued reading. Whatever it was, Bell wasn't quite interested in what it was about; she didn't have favorites or preferred brands, just whatever caught her eye and was interesting enough to captivate her.

' _Oh yeah, what was I thinking about?'_ wondered Bell as her gaze returned to the ceiling. ' _Something about… games? Going back home? Me wanting a cup of orange juice...'_

' _Oh right, the rats.'_

Thinking back on it, Bell realized something about how they would fight the rats. From the information she got very early on, the rats had their piracy operations in many places; they did wipe out two of them back in Conderica. And from what she eavesdropped, the rats had further presence to the east.

' _If that's the case, then these rats have to be organized. You can't just run a piracy operation from multiple places and with that much personnel without someone telling them what to do,'_ Bell thought. ' _And if I think the organization is as big as I think it is, we're going to have to, uh… define our terms.'_

Bell heard an abrupt banging noise from the wall behind her. No doubt Weaver and BJ were in the next room, and who knew what BJ was up to. So long as it didn't involve getting them prematurely evicted.

Bell peered towards the wall in front of her. On the other side, Nitroplus and Raw Meat occupied their own room; this meant that the motel room Bell and Cog were in was sandwiched between one taken up by the odd Cape Aspiration folks and one taken up by someone who you would never trust with a potato gun.

The door to the bathroom opened and SPARK walked out, her hair damp from the shower but still wearing her characteristic round opaque glasses that had spirals on them.

' _Oh yeah, I almost forgot about her. Must've been asleep during the car ride.'_

She heard another loud bump from the wall behind her, and swore she could hear maniacal laughter. Bell groaned as she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. They still had plenty of distance to cover before they would arrive at another city.

* * *

"... hey….."

"... Hey, Bell…."

"... Bell!"

Rubbing her eyes and yawning the sleep away, Bell grumbled as she woke up from her slumber. Since early morning, they've been on the road for at least a few hours and Bell had fallen asleep since then. She blinked twice as her vision recovered and adjusted her glasses.

The first thing she saw through the windshield was the multistory apartment, only to realize they were in what looked to be an apartment complex, with rows and rows of identical grey drab buildings aligned next to each other. The grey overcast sky seem to mirror the very buildings themselves, but once they crossed an intersection, Bell could see shops, stores, and other establishments made with rigid angles, all personalized with a variety of red, green, blue, and yellow.

As she drover, Weaver glanced sideways at Bell, smiling to herself at Bell's surprise. "Rise and shine! We've just made it to Pedissia!"

Bell looked to Weaver in disbelief; then she couldn't help but smile. In the back of her mind, she felt it was ages since she ever stepped foot far away from her home in Conderica. From what she could remember, Pedissia wasn't as industrious as Conderica, but it was equally urban with an aesthetic of its own: bland, utilitarian architecture mixed with bright colors of its flag. The weather was generally colder, but anyone who grew up here would find it to be the norm.

' _Now all we need is some polka music to complete the image,'_ mused Bell.

She peered behind her to see the reactions of everyone else (except for BJ - she was still stuffed in the trunk). Cog seemed quite interested, gobbling up all she could see as she had never visited Pedissia. But Cog's look of fascination was nothing compared to those of Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and SPARK as they too had never ventured this far east. Nitroplus could only gaze at the sights in awe and SPARK even pulled out her camera to take pictures.

A sign passed by that indicated the direction to a nearby parking lot. Weaver steered the convertible in that direction, sticking close to the curb for the inevitable turn that would lead directly to the lot. Along the way, pedestrians doing about their business would stop and admire the class that Weaver's car had.

They finally turned a corner to the lot and managed to find a space. After everyone exited the car and Weaver paid the parking toll, they all stood and looked around, hoping to find some place to start in their quest to defeat the rats.

"Sooo… anyone know the way?" asked Cog. Her question was met with head shakes from practically everybody except Bell and Weaver.

"Not really an idea per se, but I think we should try looking for any nearby library," suggested Bell.

Nitroplus was puzzled and her look made it clear to Bell. "Why a library?"

"This place is full of them. Besides, they might have something that pertains to the rats: any suspicious activity, info about their organization, or heck, maybe a Bounty Box like last time. That and I suppose a little sightseeing in between won't hurt."

Nitroplus wasn't sure, but she nodded. Weaver was busy searching the area for all nearby libraries on her wrist computer and waited for the search query to return results. After a second of waiting, she got some results.

"Looks like the nearest library we can start with is..." Weaver looked more closely at the screen to read the name. "Some place called 'Lingua Cipher'. It's well within walking distance, so we should be there before we know it. Come on."

As the group headed to their location, they failed to notice the presence of a few pairs of eye that had been following them since they first entered the city. The entities who had spied on them now retreated to report their findings, that the ones who had now proven to be thorn on their side had arrived and brought friends.

The rats were now on the hunt.

* * *

"Lingua Cipher" - the group wasn't quite sure what to make of the two-story building which stood in front of them. Unlike the others nearby, the place was more austere, lacking the vibrant colors in favor of monotone white and grey, thanks in part to the abundance of marble and polished stone. The library's name was chiseled in big letters above the entrance, which comprised of revolving glass doors. A short but wide series of steps led the way to the entrance.

Bell shrugged. "Well, subverted expectations or not, this looks like the place." She walked up the steps with everyone following.

As they passed through the revolving doors, the noise, breeze, and scent of the outdoors were immediate replaced with the stuffy, quaint mood of a quiet library. Ground floor or upstairs, the library exuded a wealth of knowledge sitting here for public viewing and enlightenment. Just past the doors there were signs advocating tidiness and silence, which was reflected on the current occupants who silently shuffled on the carpet and velvet floors, picking out books or browsing online catalogs and wikis. At best, the only source of sound was coming from the corner close to the entrance where an area was designated as a small cafe of sorts, complete with tables, seats, and vendors.

Cog approached Bell and tapped her shoulder. "Okay, so now that we're here, what's the plan?"

"Check the terminals to see if there's anything that might link to the rats. Same if you come across a Bounty Box around here. Just make sure you don't make a mess."

Weaver nudged BJ with her elbow. "I think she's talking about you."

"Screw you!" cracked BJ who retaliated with a playful push on Weaver's shoulder.

The exchange was met by peering eyes that made them all uncomfortable, almost as if they were all judging them.

Bell turned to face Weaver and BJ, this time whispering. "Okay, idea: you and BJ can wait outside, go shopping, sightseeing, whatever. Anything that takes at least… 30 minutes. The rest of us will stay and dig up what we can."

Weaver nodded as she said, "Alright, I'll go walk the dog." She slapped BJ on the back. "Come on, we're going."

BJ looked confused. "Weaver, we don't have a dog."

"It's a form of expression. Now shut up and let's go somewhere."

As Weaver began nudging BJ towards the exit, she decided to simply roll with it. "I'll be back, and lemme know if got anything fun to kill while we're away."

"We're not here just to quench your thirst for mindless violence," replied Nitroplus curtly. "We're here to find the rats and that's it."

After Weaver pushed BJ out through the entrance, Bell turned to face the others. "Alright, while we're here we go to whatever part of the library we want, so long as we behave. It'll be lunchtime in about half and hour so we can rendezvous at that cafe area by then."

The five of them, Bell, Cog, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and SPARK walked towards the library center and split up amongst themselves, some headed in whatever part interested them the most. Bell, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat went to the line of desks that had computer terminals whereas Cog and SPARK confined themselves to the bookshelves.

Bell took the first available vacant terminal and sat in the seat. Nitroplus took the one right next to Bell while Raw Meat was content hovering by Nitroplus's shoulder, resting on top one of her wing-like accessory. As the two woke the terminals from their slumber, Nitroplus paused. For an instant, she felt something peculiar - like they were being watched. She quickly looked around as subtly as she could.

Somewhere in front of her, Nitroplus noticed what appeared to be a couple standing by the bookshelves, whispering to each other. She could not ascertain what they were discussing, but judging by how their gaze occasional made their way to her, Nitroplus could they must be talking about her. Her eyes moved to the right, and she saw something similar play out near a different set of bookshelves. She looked to the far left and saw the same.

Nitroplus shook her head and dismissed the peculiar feeling she had previously. During the adventures she had with all of the Devs, she was still a stranger in the eyes of most PC citizens, despite technically being a PC citizen herself. But as long as she continued her quest for justice, she could afford to tolerate the bigotry.

Next to her, Bell brought up the search browser and stopped to think of what to find. Can't find something without knowing what to look for after all.

She typed in something broad, like "game pirates". In a millisecond, the first set of over ten thousand results popped up, all of them from news websites, gaming websites, and blogs. Bell skimmed through them but found that none of them pertained to what she was looking for.

She tried again, this time narrowing the search query. A different set of results popped up and again, none of them produced something relevant to their search.

' _Okay,'_ thought Bell. ' _How about anything involving rats?'_ She typed it in the search bar and hit Enter.

A dozen results showed up on the first page, the top ones being the the Pedissia database entry for what a rat was as a species and the rest news articles from Conderica, stating that the investigation of the alleyway incident has still yet to have a conclusive outcome.

Bell sighed and opened a new tab in the web browser, this time accessing her personal cloud storage. Ever since the battle with the monsters at the Turing Woodlands, she decided it was time to make some "improvements". After logging in, she brought up an old file, one dated years ago. Back when Bell was a active Dev instead of the someone who lounged around in her home all day. Back when the games she made brought fame and recognition. Back when she found her way after accumulating enough Acclaim to become a full-fledged Dev rather than a Prospective one.

' _Times really do change, huh.'_

Nitroplus browsed through the browser, imitating the action that Bell did when entering the search query. But just like Bell, the best she found were informative articles about what a rat was and the alleyway incident. She peeked at Bell's screen to see what alternative solutions she may have cooked up, but found her looking at something else. She leaned in close and saw what appeared to be… schematic? Blueprint of some sort? She remembered something similar back in Bell's home and not understanding what they were. So seeing Bell pull up a schematic piqued her intrigue.

Bell's gaze was to her screen but she got the sense that someone's eyes were on her. And that someone was getting close. Before Nitroplus could utter a word, Bell adjusted her glasses and decided to strike up brief talk to avoid awkward questions. "By the way, I've been doing some thinking back at the motel. About how we're going to beat the rats and whatnot."

Upon hearing this, Nitroplus immediately straightened herself and gave Bell her full attention. Raw Meat did the same.

"So I thought about how we're supposed to defeat the rats and put a stop into their whole pirating games operations. And I thought about how we should be realistic in our goals."

"'Realistic'? How so?" asked Nitroplus.

"Okay, so we're going to stop the piracy operations mostly by beating the snot out of them and finding out where they're bases are; that was the case back in Conderica" Bell paused as Nitroplus and Raw Meat nodded in unison before continuing. "But the thing I've realized is that they have a bunch of bodies and bases, both east and west."

"That's true!" chirped Raw Meat. "So where's the meat of this discussion?"

Bell leaned forward, tenting her fingers together for her head to rest on. "My point is that, in order to stop them from pirating games, all we should focus on is destroying their bases. If we do that, they shouldn't be able to organize as well as they can. Being able to pirate games means nothing if they don't have the means to do it in the first place."

Nitroplus could see the point that Bell was trying to get across. "I think I get it: we can defeat the rats simply by rooting out their main bases, rather than defeating each individual rat."

Bell nodded. "Or at least, take down their main base which should scatter them and make our job easier. Trying to hunt down and defeat every single rat in this entire continent would take too _way_ long. That stuff can wait until later"

But in her mind, Nitroplus remained somewhat skeptical. While Bell's reasoning was sound, the idea of simply scattering the evildoers away seemed… uncomfortable. She wouldn't be quelling evil if they let some go, right?

Suddenly, a distant scuffle could be heard somewhere in the deeper section of the library. Bell, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat heard it and peered over in the direction of the commotion; their action was mimicked by all the nearby visitors. They could hear loud voices - unintelligible and angry - that drew closer, until snippets of words would be caught.

"... scrub…!"

"... get your filthy hands off… you damn dirty tomato!"

"Tomato? You can't even insult, let alone aim, right!..."

"... Your momma was a 'secret document' you pulled outta your…!"

"... don't know what's smaller: your brain or your boobs!"

Eventually, the sight of an impeccably dressed woman came into view, her fancy silk vest, clothes, and well-trimmed short dirty-blonde hair instantly brought to the forefront. Her expression was of grim annoyance, and looking down, Bell and Nitroplus could see that she was forcibly draggin two bickering individuals: one wore a white sailor shirt and a leather helmet, its ear flaps agitating with her every outburst, and the other who had goggles propped up on her forehead and her brown leather jacket barely concealing her impressive "growth".

"You take that back you little shit!" yelled the one with the sailor shirt.

"I don't take refunds, you moron!" snapped back the other.

The woman dragging them shook her head. "Now you two better behave yourselves or else you won't be welcome here again. In fact, I look forward to not seeing your faces ever again." Her voice was articulate with an air of refinement, but it was clearly filled with contempt.

Yet, the two squabbled while they were dragged all the way past the revolving doors, in which they disappeared from view. A moment passed before the woman returned but without the two rascals she evicted. After adjusting her glasses, she casually strode through the library where she disappeared from sight amongst the bookshelves.

Nitroplus couldn't help but be bemused by the sight and looked at Bell with a question. "Just who were they just now? They didn't look like ordinary people."

Bell rolled her eyes. "Those two loud-mouths? I know who they are: they're Prospective Devs and what you saw is just what they think of each other."

Nitroplus looked back to the revolving door the two were evicted out of. "They were Prospective Devs? I didn't know that."

"Yeah," Bell replied. "I think those two are pretty close to becoming actually Devs; they just need to get enough Acclaim to enter the big leagues." She sighed; so far their search has been fruitless as there had been no mention of the rats: their recent activities, the name of their group, or anything.

Bell logged herself off of the terminal and stood up. "Well, I got to go pick up the thing I've planning to get and maybe check up on Cog and SPARK. What about you?"

"I'll stick around to try to dig deeper. I have a duty to uphold after all," answered Nitroplus.

Bell nodded and left without a word. She looked up where signs hung from the ceiling and found one that pointed to where the fabricators were. She followed the sign, walking past aisles of bookshelves and carts filled with thick texts, until she found herself near the back of the library. Tucked in a corner was a small room that contained the bulky rectangular machinery. Bell had already sent her schematics to the fabricator, so all she did was sign in and let it do its work.

The fabricator hummed and whirred until a cheery "ding!" was heard; a signal that the process was complete. Bell opened the top cover and inside lay a red metal toolbox-like object, about as duffel bag. She reached out to grab it, feeling the metal and the weight to make sure nothing was amiss. Once satisfied, the box dematerialized in her hand - one new toy for her to play with. Years of development that she knew would be worth the wait.

She left the room to find what Cog and SPARK were up to.

Bell walked along the open corridor that separate regions of bookshelves from each other, peering between them hoping to catch a glimpse of either one of them. Then, she heard a loud sigh from behind one of the shelves up ahead and Bel saw Cog trotting glumly out from the bookshelves.

"Didn't find anything interesting?" asked Bell.

Cog huffed another sigh, one that suggested annoyance. "Interestin' to others maybe, but all I found were dull crap. No comics or any of tha' sort..."

"Uh-huh..." muttered Bell. "Anyways, Nitroplus and I haven't found squat and I decided to check up on you and SPARK. Where is she, by the way?"

As if on cue, the familiar figure wearing spring antenna appeared behind Bell. "Bell, you won't believe the kind of things this place has!" she whispered, loud enough to carry her excitement but silent enough to not draw the ire of any librarian. "All sorts of stuff that appeals to my inner history nerd (nothing related to aliens)! They should be a fascinating read, like this one book about ancient civilizations like Tari! I could use something like this to help my future projects"

SPARK's brief fit of joy was met with blank stares from Bell and Cog. "... For once, you're not stuttering," observed Bell.

And like a bright candle suddenly extinguished, SPARK went back to her clumsy self, cheeks slightly red and her antenna even drooping down. "Un, well… you see… I, uh..."

"Everything is satisfactory, I presume?"

Bell, Cog, and SPARK turned to see a woman standing next to the bookshelves, with arms crossed and a very slight smirk on her lips. Bell instantly recognized her: the same well groomed person who forcibly dragged two visitors out earlier. Was she the librarian or someone special?

What struck Bell was the look the woman gave once they all turned around. For a split second, the woman paused, as if she witnessed something interesting. But afterwards, she began to approach them, her expression neutral somewhat cold and her eyes fixed on Bell.

Cog made an exaggerated shrug. "Boy howdy, this place really doesn't offer comic books or graphic novels, does it?"

The woman shot her a rather stern glare. "If you want picture books, there's a kindergarten about a block away, you'd fit perfectly there."

As Cog was left to pout angrily, the woman turned her attention to Bell. As they made eye contact, the woman's expression relaxed back to her neutral expression. She walked past Cog and stopped in front of Bell, a small smirk on her face as she studied Bell.

"I'd never believe that someone like you would grace my library, Bell." She extended her right hand, the gesture friendly but the atmosphere somewhat off.

Bell hesitated before returning the gesture, shaking the woman's hand. "Uh, sure."

They let go of each other's hands. "I suppose now's the time to introduce myself," said the woman, her accent as upper class as her appearance. "I am Kreass, and as you may already be aware you are residing in my library, the _Lingua Cipher_."

' _Kreass… Hang on...'_ Now it was Bell's turn to falter as the woman's introduction set in. "So you must be that one Dev who specializes in those historical real-time strategy games. Didn't expect you to own this place or know who I am."

"But of course. 'Scientia sit potentia' - knowledge is power after all," Kreass replied while brushing back an errant strand of her short dirty-blonde hair. Her gaze shifted as she noticed SPARK partially hidden behind Bell.

"And yes, I already know who you are, SPARK. Don't try to educate me on what you think you know." Kreass's response carried a hint of snobbery this time around. "You and your misguided attempts at recreating history..." she muttered quietly under her breath.

Not quiet enough to escape Cog's ears. "Hey, what's the big deal, fancy pants?"

"The 'big deal' being that peasants such as yourself lack eloquence and proper education?" Kreass responded immediately. "You country bumpkins really don't know any better..."

Ignoring Cog's rather vulgar tantrum (with colorful terms such as "glass dickface"), Kreass turned back to Bell. "Regardless, I know who you all are, but what I do not know are your motives. For what impetus would three Devs have to come here today?"

Bell glanced slightly to the side and put her hand at the back of her head. "Oh, that. Well, it's a long story but basically - "

A thunderous crash caused all of them to jump. Startled, they all looked towards the front of the library where the sound came from, but the layers of bookshelves and support columns prevented them from seeing the cause. The crash was later accompanied by shouts and screams.

"What the hell…?" asked Bell as they all ran to confront whatever the cause was.

* * *

A COUPLE MINUTES EARLIER…

Nitroplus leaned back on her chair and rubbed her eyes. It had only been about a minute but scouring the Internet and combing through text made her eyes tired.

"Why not take a break?" whispered Raw Meat hovering beside her head. "It should be nearing lunch, so why not grab some meat to eat?"

And as if on cue, a light rumbling sound could be heard coming from Nitroplus's belly. A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she logged off of the terminal and stood up. "... Perhaps you're right. I'll probably use this as an opportunity to get to know the people of this land more. Do you mind staying here for a bit?"

"No problem, meat!"

Nitroplus strolled to the front of the library where the cafe area lay. She gingerly walked between the tables and chairs, ignoring whatever weird looks went her way from everyone while making sure she didn't accidently bump into something with wing accessories and long hair.

She grabbed a small bag of snacks and approached one of the vendors standing behind a glass counter. The vendor, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron, stopped wiping the counter with a rag once she noticed Nitroplus. The vendor was taken aback by Nitroplus's appearance, eyeing her head to toe with a judgemental eye.

Above were signs that advertised the kinds of items served and as Nitroplus noted, they were mostly drinks. She finally found a particular item that she decided to go for and looked down at the vendor who continued to give Nitroplus a wary look.

"May I have the Kolsyrad Cider, peach-flavored?" she asked.

The vendor complied but raised an eyebrow. "Peach-flavored, ah? Starting to feel homesick?"

"... Pardon?"

The vendor stuck a plastic cup under a nozzle to fill it with the appropriate drink. "You know? Peaches? I heard you Cape Aspiration folks are practically obsessed with them. Peaches in their brains even." She snickered humorously. "So you miss them already?"

The prodding from her flustered Nitroplus. "Um, no, not… not exactly. I just… happened to be fond of them."

A playfully smile was the only response from the vendor who just finished capping the drink with a plastic cap and slid it next to the register. "That would be 500 credits."

Nitroplus paid the amount charged and took her cup and snacks. As she looked for a seat, she took a sip, tasting the fizzy, excitable drink mixed with the sweet peach flavor. She found a vacant seat and sat down; the nearest couple of people even scooched an inch away from her. Facing the back of the library, Nitroplus could see Raw Meat resting on top of the seat she was in. Having Raw Meat occupy the seat in her place did wonders, as many who noticed the presence of a floating strip of meat did their best to stay away.

As she sat, her mind wandered back to what Bell said before, about how they should focus on seeking out the rats' main bases and eliminating them rather than destroying all of them wherever they were. Again, the idea was logical and sound, yet it conflicted with Nitroplus's personal idea of justice: defeat evil wherever it may be and protect the innocent and the good. To deliberately allow evil to be spared made her feel uneasy.

And what did Weaver mean when she said how Nitroplus was "one of those people" when they first met? To fight for justice is supposed to be honorable - commendable even. So what was wrong with it? Her motivations? Methods? Or was it something else?

To be honest, Nitroplus felt on edge thinking about the complex ideas behind why she fights. It was the same feeling she gets when someone is after her -

 _*_ _ **CRAAASSHH!**_ _*_

At that instant, the revolving doors at the front of the library disintegrated into a flurry of broken glass and debris. In an flash, the entire area by the entrance, the cafe included, was washed away by a cloud of pulverized marble and stone.

The sudden event caused considerable shock and surprise to those within the dignified library and everyone either fell to the ground, screamed out loud from the unexpected explosion, or scrambled for cover. Nitroplus was among those in the latter group, taking cover behind the nearest table.

She couldn't see past the choking dust but Nitroplus could make out a vague shape of what appeared to be the back end of a bus parked where the front entrance used to be. Amid the dust, Nitroplus saw a small volley of something small she couldn't identify. The objects impacted the floor with audible thuds but Nitroplus didn't hear or see any overt effects.

As people did what they could to flee the immediate area, the dust cloud persisted. Nitroplus held her ground, intent on waiting for her vision to clear before making any moves on whoever decided to ram a bus here. But for some reason, the cloud lingered even though enough time had passed for the dust to settle. Nitroplus slowly stood up from her hiding spot.

And immediately felt her legs give way. Suddenly, her heightened state of alert had been replaced by overwhelming lethargy. Nitroplus teetered and stumbled as her mind attempted to figure out what was happening until she collapsed. As her vision faded to black, she vaguely took notice of small figures moving through the cloud, their silhouettes familiar. The figures noticed her before she lost consciousness.

A trio of rats quickly approached Nitroplus as she laid on the ground. "Chu, she must be one of them!" spoke the middle rat, his voice muffled by a rebreather wrapped over his mouth. The rats dragged Nitroplus back to the bus and tossed her in through the back door where other rats took her in and secured her.

Standing amidst the small rubble and other people knocked unconscious by their sleep gas, one of the rats quickly looked around. The gas cloud obscured most of their vision, but the rat could see something off.

"Where's the rest, chu?!" he demanded.

One of his purple subordinates replied. "I dunno, boss! They should all be here, chu!"

The lead rat scanned his surroundings again, but he didn't see anyone that could be the ones they were looking for. His scouts said that this would be where they would be but they only caught one, which concerned him. But what concerned him the most was that the gas cloud was beginning to dissipate; they were running out of time.

"Argh! We're running out of time, chu! Let's hightail it out of here before we attract too much attention, chu!" shouted the rat as his accomplices immediately boarded the bus. The lead rat went in and slammed the door shut before the bus rolled forward out of the library, leaving behind a gaping hole in the entrance. With any luck, they would be able to leave the scene and blend in with the traffic before the authorities arrive.

They might not have apprehended all of the ones responsible for neutralizing their operations in the west, but they now had a hostage.

' _Hopefully that's good news for her...'_ thought the rat.

* * *

The cloud began to settle down just as Bell and the rest arrived. The flood of people fleeing away from the incident prevented them from arriving sooner. As they arrived, they saw the large hole in at the front of the library as well as the scattered rubble and debris as well as unconscious bystanders. But whatever caused the mess had long vanished. Bell looked to where the row of public terminals were but couldn't see Nitroplus. Not good.

Beside her, Kreass angrily scowled at the destruction of her property. It didn't take a genius to figure that she would no doubt be conjuring up vengeful thoughts as to who or what caused this.

"Meat, meat!" A familiar voice cried out.

Bell turned to see Raw Meat flying towards them, stopping in front of her face. Although her face remained as it was, her voice betrayed her current feeling.

"We have a huge, huge problem! It seemed that - "

"What. The blazes. Is that?!" interrupted Kreass as she gawked at Raw Meat. Bell and Cog collectively groaned at what seemed to another instance of having to explain Raw Meat to another Dev.

"Look, we can explain how a strip of meat can be sentient, let alone capable of floating or speech, but not now," said Bell quickly. Raw Meat was bobbing up and down frantically as though she had something urgent to say. But before Bell could turn back to face Raw Meat, another familiar voice rang out.

"Hey Bell! What just happened here?!"

Weaver and BJ came running through the open hole and to where everyone was. The two of them and Kreass exchanged looks. "And who's Ms. Fancy Pants supposed to be?" asked BJ.

"It's Kreass you uncouth barbarian," answered Kreass who adjusted her glasses irritably. Weaver looked around to see everyone except for -

"Where's Nitroplus?" she questioned.

"It was the rats! They came here and kidnapped Nitroplus!" Raw Meat squeaked.

The words caught the full attention of everyone. The rats managed to capture her? Did they track them down this whole time? The implications left Bell in shock. If the rats could actually track them down and try to bring the fight to them, then that itself was bad news.

Them having a hostage was even worse.

Kreass sighed as she was out of the loop. "I presume that this Nitroplus person is your acquaintance?" she asked.

Bell and Raw Meat nodded. "Yeah, she's someone I met at least a couple days ago back in Conderica," Bell replied. "Basically she invited us to help fight rats who are engaging in illegal piracy of games."

Kreass thought about the information provided by Bell. "Fighting rats? Well that certainly explains this sudden attack," she said while gesturing to the broken hole.

Weaver turned to look at the hole and back to Kreass who looked displeased. "Uh, yeah. I guess - "

"You and your group has decided upon themselves to wage war on a particular group," curtly interrupted Kreass who crossed her arms. "Naturally, a chance that your enemy will counterattack is not impossible. They are here because _you_ happen to be here as well."

Kreass burrowed her frow even lower. "And now, in your self-appointed crusade of righteousness, me and my library have been caught in the crossfire as collateral. What do you simpletons have to say for yourself?"

Her words injected a feeling of guilt among all the other Devs except for BJ. "Uh, that it was fun?" she asked, partially oblivious to Kreass's indictment. Kreass merely groaned and facepalmed in response.

"Well, anyways!" Raw Meat loudly announced. "We need to rescue Nitroplus from the rats' clutches!"

Bell scratched her head, thinking of something that could aid them. "You were there when it happened, weren't you? Do you have any idea where the rats might have gone?"

Raw Meat pondered for second before she answered. "Unfortunately, no. I may be able to smell a rat but they could be hiding anywhere in this city!"

"'Kay, so now what?" Cog partly demanded. "We ain't got no clue about where Nitry is and no way to find to find her in the first place!"

Kreass scoffed. "Then it's simple: what we cannot find, we merely find someone who does."

"Someone who does?"

Before Kreass could give a snarky response, Bell answered for her. "In other words, we just need to find a rat."

Cog rolled her eyes. "Well no crap Sherlock. We're tryin' to find the rats in the first place."

But Bell had already caught on to what Kreass was scheming and made it clear for Cog. "No no no, we not just looking for the rats - we're looking for _A_ rat."

* * *

The Pedissia law enforcement and emergency services had finally arrived on the scene, interfering traffic and blocking bystanders from entering with their vehicles and mere presence. Law enforcement secured the perimeter as they worked alongside the a handful of paramedics to tend to those caught close to the blast and the gas. Thankfully, no one was significantly injured and those affected by the gas suffered no ill effects. From the outside, the situation was coming under control.

' _I sure wish that was the case,'_ thought Bell as she and Kreass stood in front of a police sergeant carrying a datapad. From within the front end of the library, a buzz of activity from personnel moving to and fro the scene performing aid or investigating.

"So a friend of yours was kidnapped by the felons?" the sergeant asked, her voice professional despite the shocking information received.

Bell nodded. "Yeah, she's from… the west end of this continent and I believe she was close to the entrance went it happened."

The sergeant nodded as she quickly tapped the information onto her datapad. "I see. Unfortunately, we have been unable to track down the vehicle used in this incident; security footage caught what seemed to be a bus rolling down multiple streets before we lost sight. It'll take a while before we can get a fix on where the bus and your friend headed," the sergeant reported before looking up from the datapad. "But, knowing you and the rest of your group, I presume you plan to take matters into your own hands?"

Bell couldn't help but mentally smile to herself. Although she might not be instantly recognizable by the masses, her status as a Dev counted when it mattered.

Beside her, Kreass nodded in affirmation to the police sergeant's question. "Indeed. The malefactors have defaced public property and caused me undue stress. In addition, my..." her eyes momentarily gleaned towards Bell and the others behind them. "... my associates I fear would make a fool of themselves if left to their own devices, hence they shall be joining me."

As the police sergeant nodded and walked away, Bell faced Kreass with a "WTF?" expression. Kreass merely smirked in response and walked back to where everyone had gathered in the library. As Kreass and Bell returned, Cog, Weaver, BJ, SPARK, and Raw Meat perked up.

Kreass pointed behind her at the law enforcement outside. "They should be able to handle the scene while we're away. For now, we should make ourselves scarce."

She turned and promptly walked out of her library with everyone following. They stepped into the outdoors and stopped along the road as Kreass turned around to face Bell and the others.

"So begins our hunt for the rats - or in this particular scenario, a rat," stated Kreass. "So where would they be?"

Everyone else looked at each other before Bell replied. "All we knew was that they're somewhere in the east. We tried looking through the library for anything about them that could help us."

Kreass face-palmed in response. "So you stooges have little to no information about where they could be, only that they were 'somewhere in the east'," she groaned. Kreass sighed loudly before she continued. "I suppose you really leave me no choice but to accompany you, lest you do yourselves in with your own ineptitude."

"And what's your master plan, genius?" challenged BJ who wore a scowl on her face. "Yeah, got somethin' up your sleeve?" questioned Cog.

Kreass remain unperturbed and opened her mouth to say something until she was interrupted by Raw Meat's proclamation. "Idea! We're looking for a rat, correct? I should be able to smell one nearby!"

Kreass gave Raw Meat a skeptical look but the others were more convinced. "If she says she can sniff out a rat, then we may as well go with it," Bell muttered.

"Especially since we don't have much of a lead to go on," added Weaver.

"And I think I know exactly where to find a rat for us to meat!" exclaimed Raw Meat. "Once we're all set, we can head out!"

All eyes were cast on Kreass who had simply stood where she was without saying a word. She then gave an annoyed shrug. "Not what I had planned but it expedites things," she begrudgingly admitted.

"Okay, let's go!" called Raw Meat as she zipped out forcing everyone to run after her to keep pace.

' _Would she please stop doing that?'_ Bell needed to ask Raw Meat something before they dived headfirst into the unknown. "So where are we heading?"

Even while moving quickly, Raw Meat turned around to face Bell without breaking stride. "Someplace where most people don't venture in. And I know there's a rat there we can find!"

* * *

"..."

"... one of them..."

"... certain?..."

"... can use her… advantage..."

"All… could say, huh..."

Interspersed words made their way into Nitroplus's comprehension as she slowly came to. She could hear fragmented conversations, but saw nothing but darkness. As she regained her awareness, Nitroplus noticed that the air felt stuffy and stale but noticed something in close proximity around her head.

' _... A bag over my head?'_ she realized. Slowly, her recollections began to filter in and she pieced it together: someone violently barged in, employed some sort of sleeping gas which she inadvertently stepped in, and now she was captured.

By now all of her sensations have returned and Nitroplus felt something tight around her wrists. She felt a similar tight feeling at each ankle. Nitroplus couldn't move and she couldn't see, but she could still hear.

Somewhere in the same room as her, Nitroplus could hear what seemed to be a hushed conversation between two people. She recognized one of the voices: a rat.

"Well… not my fault we couldn't catch..."

But the second voice Nitroplus couldn't recognize; it was female but spoke in a way unsuited for an ordinary rat and more like a… delinquent?

"Argh!... this an' excuses that. You had… chance, and you still couldn't…!"

"Chu, we can still salvage this… demands. No way they rest would go after..."

"Pfft! You're still a dumbass! Even if we could make demands, how the hell are we supposed to contact those idiots, huh?!"

"Errrr… when you put it like that..."

"Huh. First you waste a bunch of sleep grenades and now you _completely_ failed to think what happens next! Gah! I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots!"

"Chu, watch your tongue, you underling! You act all tough but you ain't our boss; far from it!"

 _*Cling!*_

The sound of a metal pipe suddenly rang out and the rat's voice became silent, replaced by the sound of something soft striking the floor with a thud. All that rang out was the unknown girl's voice.

"Oh I'm sorry, could you say that again?" A striking sound was heard. "Yeah, didn't think so! You all better think twice before messing with me!"

Low mumbling sounds could be heard, presumably from more rats in the same room or in nearby rooms. Silence fell and Nitroplus dare didn't move a muscle, keeping her breathing to a minimum in hopes that her captors wouldn't notice her awake. After a couple seconds of tense silence, the same female voice called out, this time the source seemingly right next to her.

"Yo, you awake yet?" Nitroplus felt a metal rod roughly prodding her cheek. She did her best to remain still but it was only a matter of time before they do… whatever they might have planned for her. The metal rod prodded her cheek, this time with a little more force.

Then nothing.

Suddenly, Nitroplus felt the metal rod swiftly strike the top of her head, eliciting an involuntary grunt of pain from her.

"Wakey-wakey, bozo!" The voice yelled. Nitroplus's body cringed from the sudden strike, no longer caring about maintaining the unconscious state. The thick bag over her head was roughly torn off and Nitroplus blinked. From what she could see, she was in some kind of barely furnished room, the concrete floor and bare walls indicating their incomplete state. A single bright light hung above Nitroplus's head directly shining everything around her.

As her vision cleared, she saw that the overhead light also shone on her captor. As her eyes drew up, Nitroplus saw that her captor wore grey baggy pants capped with thick black boots. An unbuttoned jacket of the same color exposed the captor's bare midriff with oddly-colored skin. And as Nitroplus looked further up, she thought she was staring at some kind of mutant rat until she shall another face at the center. With lime green hair, pointy ears, and skin of the same odd color, Nitroplus realized that her captor wasn't some weird rat.

It was some kind of female human - a girl. Or at least something that resembled one.

"Awake now, huh?" she said, a malicious smile on her face. "I hope you kissed your bedtime goodbye, 'cause your ass sure isn't going to rest until _we_ say so!"

The girl's threats had little effect on Nitroplus as they sounded somewhat cliched, even in the predicament she was in. If anything, any fear was displaced by curiosity as to the girl's identity or her motives for helping the rat's organization.

' _Why would someone like her be on the rat's side?'_ wondered Nitroplus.

"What? You're just gonna keep staring?" the girl angrily demanded, resting a metal pipe she held in a black glove on her right shoulder. She glared into Nitroplus, their eyes meeting in a brief showdown of intimidation. "Why the hell are you staring at me for?" the girl demanded again.

"I wondering why you're dressed up like a rat," Nitroplus replied bluntly.

 _*Whack!*_ The pipe from the girl swung to hit Nitroplus across the side of her face. She winced from the pain.

"Smartass..." the girl muttered. "You got no freakin' clue that you're messing with Linda, the most ass-kickingest member of this group?!"

' _What kind of name is that?'_ wondered Nitroplus as exhaled - the pain subsided. If this Linda person is what she claimed to be, then it's likely Nitroplus is face-to-face with someone high up in the rat organization's hierarchy; either some kind of leader, its enforcer, or both.

It was only when Nitroplus's gaze lowered slightly that she noticed the unconscious body of a gold-colored rat. The same one that she heard having an argument with Linda earlier before she knocked him out in a fit of anger.

Linda followed Nitroplus's gaze and noticed the still-knocked-out rat. She pointed her pipe at it. "Oh, him? Don't mind that idiot, just think of him as an example of what I'm gonna do to you if you mess with me." Her words were rife with hostile intent.

Nitroplus remained unfazed by Linda's threat. She thought back to the argument she heard earlier and spat back. "Criminals like you shouldn't exist. All you ever do is spread your evil and misery everywhere you go! You even did it to someone on your side!"

Linda roughly tousled Nitroplus's hair, disgust apparent on her face. "Blah blah blah. You people can't come up with anything better, can you? And that stupid rat behind me had it coming. Besides, it's not like he's dead or anything, unlike what you and your pals do."

"I do what I do because it's necessary," argued Nitroplus, not caring about whatever pain Linda would inflict on her. "When evil people go around causing trouble to the innocent, then it's up to people like us to protect them however we can! Even if it means using - "

"Ugh, _pleeaassee_ ," Linda groaned in a rather exaggerating matter. "Yeah, it's totally cool to use violence on the bad guys to prove how heroic you are." She started shaking her head, chuckling. "Jeez, you so-called 'heroes' make me sick."

Linda lightly tapped the side of Nitroplus's head with her pipe; the immense annoyance made up for the absence of pain. A playful but mischievous smile spread again.

"You really don't know what's going on, do you?"

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Pedissia *****  
Pedissia is a nation located on the eastern half of the PC Continent on a peninsula. The nation is best known for their libraries and archives that contain all sorts of information; the kind of information available for the wide public range from the mundane general knowledge to high-level academia. Pedissia is also known for the Pedissia Intelligence Group (PING), a very extensive and sophisticated intelligence network that has its reach throughout the PC Continent and beyond.

The Pedissia Corlast is similar to that of Conderica except adorned with gold trims and each corner topped with domes that have the nation's national colors (red, green, yellow, and blue). The Corlast is situated next to a river and has fortress walls surrounding the establishment. Besides resident quarters for the nation's leader, the Corlast also contains the headquarters for PING.  
***** End of Entry *****

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Acclaim *****  
The name of a nonphysical energy that exists within the PC Continent for use by Devs. Devs gather Acclaim via earning reputation and fame for their games and actions. All Devs begin as Prospective Devs until they garner enough Acclaim to earn their status as a true Dev; once this is achieved, they earn access to more power and capabilities that grant Devs their status. Acclaim can be compared to Share energy that Gamindustri uses, although Acclaim is not so easily influenced by negative emotions or other people's' opinions that can be easily swayed. However, Acclaim is slower to accumulate than Share energy.  
***** End of Entry *****


	8. Chapter 7: Saving Private Plus

**Chapter 7: Saving Private Plus**

The Devs weren't entirely sure what to think: they had followed Raw Meat down the street for several blocks before they found themselves in the lesser urban zone devoid of densely packed buildings both short and tall. Now they stood by a bridge overlooking a concrete trench littered with huge pipe entrances, the kind large enough to fit a couple people shoulder-to-shoulder.

Raw Meat hovered besides the opening of one of those pipes; the trench had been dry for a long time, leaving nothing by coarse gravel, creeping vegetation, messy graffitti, and a trickle of water dripping from the pipe. One of the city's flood control channel which sat defunct for who knows how long.

Bell leaned over the railing and peered down at the round passageway. Everyone else imitated her action with varying degrees of doubt on their faces. While many had no clue where the rats may be hiding, a tunnel network was both a disappointment and the obvious answer.

"Well," began Bell. "If I ever had an answer to 'if I was a rat, where would I hide', this would pretty much be it."

"Eh, I had a different answer in mind," muttered BJ.

"And what would that be?"

"About six feet underground," answered BJ.

"Well, uh, I guess you're both technically correct," chimed in SPARK. She flinched when Kreass came from behind to approach the bridge guardrails. She looked down to the round entrance before she turned to Raw Meat.

"... Are you certain of this?" Kreass asked inquisitively.

"Absolutely, Krees!" answered Raw Meat, seemingly oblivious of Kreass scowling at the spontaneous nickname. "It might not look like it but wherever the tunnel goes reeks of rats!"

"And just how far does the rabbit-hole go?" asked Weaver. It went without saying that everyone (except maybe Kreass) has very little to no knowledge about Pedissia's network of tunnels or sewage system. There was no telling where they would find themselves down there; if they got lost or trapped, the rats would be the least of their worries.

But Raw Meat showed no concern (then again, Raw Meat's expression was locked into a cartoon smiley face). "Worry not, meat! Long as I'm around, we'll find a rat and a way out!"

"Whatever," said Kreass dismissively. She looked for a way to go down to where Raw Meat was and found a concrete staircase embedded to the side of the trench walls. "Just find us a rat so we can get this over with."

Everyone had gathered at the pipe entrance. Gazing into the dark tunnel that faded into unlit passageways, Bell, Cog, Weaver, and SPARK got a strange sense of deja vu. SPARK retrieved the headlamps from her pack before Kreass interrupted. "Don't bother with those, it's prudent that we don't brazenly reveal our presence to whatever's inside. Or did you forget that?"

"Okay, how about this?" Weaver stepped into the large tube and activated her wrist computer's light. Just like in the cave back in the Turing Woodlands, the light struggled to pierce the veil of darkness at the end of the tunnel but was able to illuminate Weaver's immediate surroundings. In such a close proximity, the dim ambient light was sufficient.

"Very well, that should be acceptable," said Kreass. An elegant and chrome rapier materialized in Kreass's right hand and an antiquated flintlock pistol spawned in her left. "We will be traversing unfamiliar ground so I expect you all to be on your guard."

BJ replied by manifesting her chainsaw as she stepped in beside Weaver. "Psych! Can't wait to see what the rats look like while I'm tearing them a new asshole." She turned around to face Kreass who happened to be straying at the rear.

"Hey fancy-pants, why don't you come up front and show us your moves?"

Kreass gave a disdainful snort. "A warmongering barbarian like you is simply better suited to the frontline role. And besides, it is sensible to position the commander at the rear for the optimal safety."

The last part was met with some amount of annoyance. BJ simply shook her head as she faced the tunnel. "... Jackass," she huffed quietly.

The team all stepped inside the large pipe and walked. With Weaver and BJ taking the lead side-by-side, Raw Meat hung quite close between them as a guide. The pipe they were in split off into two diverging paths and on Raw Meat's suggestion, they turned to the left and continued walking. Then a right. Then another left. Weaver's light could only illuminated the interior surfaces beside her, and despite the pipe's purpose, there was evidence that the Devs were not the only ones who have passed through here before: the occasional trash littered the passageway along with street art and graffiti that adorned the walls, be it scribbles, symbols, "Kilroy was here", and even what appeared to amateur paintings of a dogoo and a red balloon.

"Meat!" whispered Raw Meat, catching everyone's attention. "There are definitely rats nearby up ahead!" Upon hearing this, Weaver killed the light, plunging everything into darkness. But immediately after, Raw Meat began tapping herself on Weaver.

"Oh, I didn't meat that they're in front of us! I can smell them from behind some door!"

And like that, the light was reactivated. "Heck of a false alarm," grumbled Weaver.

"They're close-by so I'll lead the way!" said Raw Meat as she fluttered ahead of the group by a few steps.

They followed Raw Meat but with their respective weapons drawn this time. Raw Meat went down the vacant tunnel and took a right turn. When the rest turned the same corner, they found Raw Meat hovering beside what appeared to be a shoddy mural of a rat with "CISA" scribbled next to it.

"This should be it!" called Raw Meat.

Weaver looked at what Raw Meat was hovering close to but only found it to be part of the pipe wall. Everyone studied it but came to the same conclusion. Bell took a step close to the graffiti and looked around, trying to see how there could be rats nearby. As she looked, her eyes fell upon a faint crack that ran up and down the pipe wall; a faint crack that to her, was too straight. As she drew a closer look, she traced the crack up until it bent at a right angle to run above the graffiti.

"Well I'll be! I think it's a secret entrance of sorts," she announced.

"Cool. So how do we open it?" asked Weaver.

Giving the graffiti-covered wall a push, Bell replied, "Well, I'm guessing that it has to either swings inward or outward, and given that there's not much room in this pipe, I'm also guessing that it swings inward."

She nudged the wall again but it failed to budge. Cog pitched in to help push the wall and BJ joined in. Finally, the wall shifted and Bell's hypothesis was correct: the rectangular space of the pipe around the graffiti was indeed movable along the cracks. As the entrance slowly slid, the three did their best to minimize any noise that might draw unwanted attention.

Kreass looked over to the rest. "Once the path has been open, it is imperative that we move and strike swiftly. Whether they have heard us or not matters little. But once we're in, make sure we capture their - "

But just before she could finish, the hidden entrance unexpectedly gave way, moving in and sliding to the side sending Bell, Cog, and BJ tumbling down. Grunting in pain, Bell hastily adjusted her glasses and looked up to find herself staring at the surprised face of a purple rat.

In the empty void where the hidden entrance was stood three purple rats, one of whom had a small cardboard box in his hands. The sudden turn of events left an awkward climate hanging in the air as both parties merely stared at each other, surprise written on everyone's faces.

One of the rats broke the ice. "... Chu?"

Bell saw one of the rats about to turn, and without a moment's hesitation threw herself onto him, tackling him to the ground. The scuffle snapped everyone out of the trance. Kreass immediately whipped up her pistol and shot the center rat. The cardboard box fell to the ground, its unseen contents rattling loudly as the rat carrying it abandoned it and fled. Cog raised her machine gun and squeezed off a burst but the rushed shot resulted in nothing but a complete miss and the resounding thunder of her gun in the close confines. The lone rat ran out of sight around a corridor.

"Dag-nabit!" Cog cursed. She glanced over to Bell who had just finished beating the rat to submission with her crowbar. As she stood up to catch her breath, BJ stood beside her to look at the incapacitated rat, its chubby proportions, wings, and tail lying prostrate on the concrete floor.

"Heh, so this is what they look like?" BJ asked, amusement in her voice. "Didn't expect the bad guys to look adorable."

"Is that going to be problem?" inquired Bell.

"You kidding? Of course not!"

"In case you peasants have forgotten," Kreass rudely interrupted. "One of the rats got away! After him!"

Kreass dashed into the corridor that the rat fled to with everyone trailing behind. The chamber behind the pipe wall was lined with rough blend of red-brown bricks and concrete, a switch connected to a mechanism of some sort positioned near the hidden door. The narrow corridor that led away from the room was made of similar materials.

A trail of overhead lamps lined the corridor as the Devs gave chase after the rat, each light beam passing by them car headlights on a freeway. Even from here, they could hear cries for help coming from the fleeing rat. As Kreass drew a corner, she was met with another three purple rats who had been running down the corridor in the opposite direction.

Without skipping a beat, Kreass knew what to do. Using the momentum of her run as well as the speed of the closest rat, she clubbed the rat with the hilt of her rapier. Still retaining her momentum, Kreass slashed the second rat before finishing him off with a series of lightning-fast cuts. By the time the second rat started to fall and the third rat could comprehend that his number was next, a precise bullet blew him back.

Tossing the smoking flintlock away where it dematerialized on the ground, Kreass continued to give chase. The rest of the team caught up only to see the incapacitated rats. But seeing as how Kreass was rushing ahead of them, they had no time to question anything as they continued to chase after Kreass and the rat.

By now, it was starting to become clear that not only was this place larger than expected, but its inhabitants were becoming aware of their presence; even from a distance, they could hear distant frantic chatter that was only becoming louder as they approached.

Finally, they came up to a metal door with Kreass standing in front of it. She turned to see everyone caught up and quickly explained the situation.

"They've barricaded the door and I have yet to ascertain how many of them there are," she said. Kreass then pointed to the short wall segment that ran parallel to the door. "If my intuition is accurate, the room should be behind that wall."

Bell looked to the wall Kreass indicated and back to the metal door, putting two and two together. She turned to Cog, an idea already forming in her head. "Cog, you still got some dynamite?"

* * *

Inside the secret hideout underneath Pedissia streets, the throng of rats were in a flurry of activity. Just a couple minutes before, three of them were sent out to deliver the package as per the schedule but the moment one of them ran back screaming like a possessed farmer, they knew something went wrong. When the same rat shouted about the intruding Devs, their worst fears were confirmed.

An overturned metal cabinet held the metal door closed. All rats, whether they were the purple henchmen or the gold pack leaders, were in a rush to prepare defenses. One of the gold-colored rats stood atop a work table to oversee the defense.

"Chu, make sure that the entrance is well blocked! You, how many did you say you saw?"

The same purple rat that had fled from the hidden entrance looked up as he sheltered behind an overturned bench. "Uhhhh, I think 5 or 6. I'm certain they were the ones that are hunting us, chu!"

The gold rat frowned. Ever since they lost contact with one of their cells in Conderica, the higher-ups suspected little. But once another one of their cells ceased to report, things became worrisome. Hearing from scant survivors about how a few Devs laid waste to their operations confirmed their worst suspicions. The rats covered their tracks, but it seemed that they didn't cover them enough. Worse, it now appeared as though their numbers were growing. An assassination attempt was made once word came of their arrival, but since that failed…

' _... We're so screwed, chu...'_ thought the lead rat.

And as if on cue, a brick wall close to the metal door exploded, showering dust and debris inside and choking the air. The rats, expecting the invaders to crash in through the door, were caught off-guard and stunned. Immediately after the wall exploded, a buzz of gunfire flooded in, cutting down some of the rats unfortunate to be in the way and sending the more fortunate ones closer into cover.

But the moment the invaders began pouring in through the fresh hole in the wall and the metal door buckled loose from its hinges, all the rats knew they were unfortunate. One of those invaders hurtled herself towards the closest rat group, shouting "HERE'S BJ!" while swinging a chainsaw left and right at any nearby rat; what her chainsaw didn't get she grabbed the rats and swung them willy-nilly like a club. More gunfire came forth, hosing the back wall, boxes, and furniture with bullets. A black bolt cut past the air, discharging electric arcs upon impact.

For every second, another rat fell with a cry of "Chuuuu…!" The entire hideout became a turmoil of melee and ranged attacks. The hailstorm of bullets, combined with the occasional crossbow bolt and precision shots of some pistol left the rats at a severe disadvantage as they lacked the means to retaliate. Meanwhile, a certain Dev tore through their ranks like a hungry adrenaline-fueled wolf among sheep, laughing maniacally and swinging a rat around by his tail.

A group of rats that have yet to be decimated by the Devs' assault attempted to charge in and reinforce their comrades, only for their gold-colored leader to see a strange large metal red box flop down in front of them. And before he knew it, the box opened up and some strange contraption quickly sprung up and out, resting on three legs with a central body on top sprouting a barrel pointed at him.

"Chu, what the f - " the gold rat said before he and others of his group were mowed down by Bell's turret gun.

Within several seconds of the forcible entry, it was clear who won. The fighting died down like the vast majority of the rats present in the hideout and the Devs swept the place. Bell walked over to her turret gun and gave it a light smack on the top. The gun immediately began to dissipate into light from top to bottom until it completely disappeared. Smiling, Bell knew it was an old design, but since she designed it she knew it was built to exceed expectations.

"Since when the heck can you do that?" Bell turned to see Cog standing behind her; no doubt she saw the turret perform and it disappearing.

"Uh, just today?" Bell replied sheepishly. "Actually, I kinda had that thing lying around for about a few years. Decided today would be a good time to bring it out."

Bell surveyed the remnants of the rat's base. Their assault left the place a wreck: hole-ridden tables and splintered furniture littered the ground, bullet holes and stuck bolts decorated the walls, and the bodies of defeated rats were all over the place. Weaver was busy making a new entry on her computer, BJ was fooling around with the rat's bodies, and SPARK was examining the stacked boxes tucked along a wall. Bell walked over to see what they were and what she found confirmed what she suspected.

Within a cardboard box, Bell saw that its contents were nothing but USBs and CDs, all labeled with names that Bell recognized as games. One box, containing what might be a bucket-load of pirated games; and this hideout was filled with many identical boxes! Turning her head, Bell recognized a row of computers and tools similar to the ones she saw in the warehouse back in Conderica. With a wall filled with multitudes of stacked boxes, she realized that this easily rivaled the warehouse in terms of importance and capability. And was discounting the rats that were responsible for kidnapping Nitroplus.

Whatever the truth about the rats was, Bell didn't like the implications.

A small scuffle could be heard, and Kreass and Raw Meat emerged from one of the smaller rooms, the former dragging a purple and gold rat behind her. Both rats were aware of their defeat, yet did not wholly confined themselves to their fate. Tossing them down on the floor, both rats remained on their hands and knees. The gold one in particular glared at everyone present.

BJ cracked a wide grin and cracked her knuckles before Weaver tugged back on her shoulder. "Hang on, I'm guessing we got something special for them."

"That is correct," said Kreass. "If you desire to rescue this Nitroplus person, we need to find where she is. And one place to start would be to… question them." Kreass accentuated the last part as she adjusted her tie.

"Screw you, chu!" exclaimed the gold rat. "You can do whatever you want with us, but you ain't getting anything out of me, chu!" The purple rat remained silent.

Bell pointed to the gold rat. "Let's start with him. From what I've seen, the gold-colored ones are leader-types of some sort while the purple ones are just the underlings. And if they're any smart, the organization wouldn't entrust vital information to the dime-a-dozen henchmen."

"A color-coded hierarchy," Kreass muttered with an air of amusement. "How convenient."

But as Kreass raised her rapier, the purple rat squeaked and began speaking immediately. "W-w-wait! I know where the main base is! I-I think that's where your friend is!"

Everyone (including the gold rat right beside him) gazed at the purple rat without saying a word. Finally, Bell sighed. "... Never mind, I guess."

The gold rat smacked his purple underling hard at the back of the head. "You idiot!" he hissed. "Chu, I knew I shouldn't have shared it with you!"

Kreass approached the gold rat and leaned in close to his face. "Well then, I seem to remember you claiming that you would never spill secrets. But now that your subordinate is willing to divulge information, what should we do with you?"

As the Devs dragged the purple rat away for questioning, the last thing the gold rat saw was Kreass aiming her flintlock pistol at his face.

* * *

"You really don't know what's going on, do you?"

Linda's smile grew as she saw Nitroplus stew on that question before she finally glared at her with a response.

"I already know what's going on: you and the vermin are willingly harming honest game producers with your pirated trash!" Nitroplus spat with as much animosity she could muster.

Linda was casually digging the wax out of her elven ears as she listened - or appeared to, at least. "And?" she asked.

Nitroplus gave a confused look. "'And' what?" she demanded.

Her confusion seemed to entertain Linda. "Yeah. And?" She let out a soft cackle. "So what if we're pirating games? That's all we've been doing for about… months, I think?"

Linda straightened up as she rested her iron bar on her shoulder. "Besides, what we're doing can't be any worse than what _you're_ doing!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded Nitroplus.

Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Linda replied, "Okay, bozo, I'm gonna break down for you before we send you to a world of pain." She raised her right boot and rested it on Nitroplus's knees as she leaned in.

"You see, the thing your ignorant, stuck-up head can't comprehend is that you're not the so-called hero you think you are!"

The statement was met with Nitroplus slightly contorting her face in confusion. "... What?" she whispered.

Seeing Nitroplus confused like that made Linda smile devilishly. "Oh sure, we're the big bad villains but _nooooo_ , you couldn't mind your own business and came after us! I mean, what the hell, we didn't do anything to you!"

Linda glared directly at Nitroplus's eyes. "Everything was all fine and dandy until you came along and ruined everything!"

Nitroplus immediately attempted to lunge forward at Linda, the bonds tying her down before she could even get anywhere. "Shut up!"

Although she flinched away from her, Linda couldn't help but laugh. "And that's not all, shit-for-brains! Unlike you, we didn't kill anybody!... Well, maybe not the ones I'm aware of, but pirating games don't literally _hurt_ people, ya know? Heck, we got plenty of people lining up to do business with us, and they look pretty happy!"

Linda shifted her weight on Nitroplus's knee. "And let's not forget, you're the one going out of your way to kill us! Heck, I bet you'd try to kill all of us! Dontcha know genocide is bad? I thought good guys were supposed to react to whatever bad guys do." She paused to sneer at her hostage. "Guess that makes you a bigger bad guy than us."

The recriminating remark struck a chord in Nitroplus who struggled to come up of a rebuttal amidst her inner turmoil. When Linda summed it up in that way, Nitroplus couldn't help but feel guilty. A real fighter of justice would fight to protect the innocent, not preemptively go after others with violence. A real hero wouldn't hurt so many.

Was she even what she claimed to be? Nitroplus wasn't so sure anymore.

Her head started to feel heavy and soon, she let it droop. Thoughts swirled in her head as she tried to make sense of everything - who she was and what she has accomplished so far. At first it was the videogame pirates who were evil - but was she any different? The people who bought their games, were they evil and therefore targeted?

Why couldn't things just be simple?

Linda saw the inner turmoil within Nitroplus and reveled in it. Making the supposed "good guys" feel stupid brought a sense of joy in her. Well, enough chit-chat - it's long past the time to dispose her. It wasn't like she planned on negotiating -

"Chu! What happened?! What did you do, underling?!"

Linda groaned as she removed her boot from Nitroplus's knee and turned around. Behind her in the doorframe were two rats: one gold and one purple. The purple one was tending to the one already on the floor, the one Linda knocked unconscious minutes before. For a moment, she completely forgot that the rat was there. And she almost forgot that she was surrounded by mostly idiots.

"One: my name's Linda," she answered in an annoyed tone. "Two: what do you guys want anyway?"

"One of our cells in underground downtown district stopped responding, chu," the gold rat squeaked.

Linda simply shrugged. "So? Call again, maybe they were too busy looking up cat videos to answer the phone."

"Chu, we did," replied the gold rat. "About three times, actually. I'm betting her friends are on their way here!"

Upon hearing this, Linda slung her metal pipe over her shoulder. ' _Back to business!'_ she thought with a smile.

As she was about to leave, Linda turned back to Nitroplus. She simply sat there, head still downcast and her hair concealing her eyes.

"Heh. If things were different, you'd probably be useful working with us," said Linda.

No response from their hostage so Linda simply left. Whatever - she had some skulls to bash in.

* * *

"U-um… it's… just through here..."

The surviving purple rat nervously glanced back and forth between where they were headed and at the six Devs plus their meaty companion. After he had spilled the beans about where the main rat base was, the rat lead them through another part of the flood control channels until they had arrived at their destination.

The tunnel exit led out to another concrete trench. Directly above lay the grey overcast sky populated by a single tower crane. Looking around, everyone could see several multistory buildings grey with age and accompanied by scaffolding that were equally decrepit as the buildings they surrounded.

"A construction site?" asked Weaver as she confirmed their location on her wrist computer.

"Y-y-yes, chu… T-the large building over there's our base… chu..." nervously stuttered the rat as he pointed to the tallest structure that resembled an office building that was in the middle of construction. Scaffolds and olive-green tarps covered the walls and where the roof would be was instead an open-top floor with exposed iron rebars sticking up from the columns and walls.

If that was the rat's main base, it seemed awfully quiet to be one.

"C-can I go now?" squeaked the purple rat as he anxiously looked at all the Devs.

"Sure, you can go..." said BJ as she grabbed the rat by its neck and lifted him off the ground. "... to hell!" she finished as she slammed the rat face-first into the concrete, forming a neat rat-shaped hole in the ground. All that remained of their brief collaborator was a pair of legs and a zig-zag tail sticking out of the ground.

Quickly ascending a small staircase, Kreass poked her head over the concrete trench to survey the area. The construction site was littered with boxes, signposts, and building materials. Besides the various tarps, netting, and trash blowing from the wind, there was no movement.

Kreass eyed the building indicated to be the rat's base. She couldn't see anything moving past whatever windows or openings that weren't obstructed by objects. If her intuition is correct (and it was most of the time), the building was planned to be a multistory department store. But by judging by its state and abandoned materials, the project was left hanging in the breeze of bureaucracy and unfulfilled contracts. That would at least help explain how the rats were able to operate outside of authoritative eyes.

She felt the presence of someone, or more accurately, something approach her. "Meat, that's where the rats are and where Nitroplus is! I can feel it!"

Kreass shot a quick glare at Raw Meat. "Now is not the time to be rash and charge headfirst." She turned to everyone else down in the concrete channel. "I believe we hold the element of surprise but we should still be prudent."

Kreass pointed to Cog and SPARK. "You two stay near the rear."

"Since when was she givin' orders now…?" mutter Cog quietly. Everyone drew out their available weaponry and quietly exited the trench. Again, there was no sign of any rat. The team set their sights on the large building and tried to make their way across the vast open ground as swiftly and silently as they could - they saw no peering eyes but that didn't mean they weren't being watched.

But halfway through, Bell heard something rumbling - an engine? Out of the corner of her eye, something moved swiftly to her left and -

"Oh cr - "

"BUUULLLLL-DOZER, CHU!" hollered a purple rat from within a commandeered bulldozer. Bell rolled away in the nick of time and likewise, so did everyone else once they heard the rat. The speeding bulldozer smashed through boxes and signs, reducing them to splinters in an instant. As everyone recovered from the initial surprise attack, the bulldozer began circling around in a second attempt to flatten them.

"Aw shit, it's a bulldozer! They got a freakin' bulldozer!" yelled Cog. "We're not mask-wearin' bank robbers, asshat!"

As the bulldozer realigned itself to face in the direction of the Devs, they started to scatter. Except for BJ, who held her ground. The rat steered the speeding bulldozer to hurtle towards BJ, who shifted her weight forward to brace herself. The bulldozer soon collided with BJ's outstretched hands, violently bringing the vehicle to a grinding halt.

Now that it stopped, BJ started punching the dozer blade. Then her punches increased their pace and soon, her fists were a furious blur, pounding the metal and forcing it to bend. The bulldozer even began creeping backwards from the impacts, creaking every second from the barrage of blows which was accompanied by chants of "Ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora!"

As BJ battled the bulldozer, the Devs found themselves beset by dozens of rats from all sides as they emerged from the buildings they initially assumed were abandoned. A purple tide came swarming in with the occasional gold ones bringing the rear.

"Chu, get 'em!"

And like that, the formerly quiet construction site became a nexus of battle. Cog immediately opened fire to stem the vermin horde with a proverbial bullet storm while SPARK took cover and pumped as many crossbow bolts as she could. Weaver hit the initial wave with her thunderous shouts before meeting the second wave with her sword. Kreass held her ground by slicing and dicing all nearby rats with her rapier and shooting those she couldn't reach her flintlock, firing them as fast as she could replace them. Bell kept close to her sentry gun, letting it do the work and clobbering whatever rat managed to get close.

The tide of purple and gold rats poured forth in their attempt to swamp the Devs. BJ had just finished punching the bulldozer into submission before several rats attempted to dogpile her (emphasis on "attempted"). Distracted by the unwanted presence of the rats, BJ realized she needed to wrap this up.

Shrugging the rats off of her, BJ discovered an idle road roller next to her. With a shark-like grin, she hoisted it up over her head and turned towards the beaten and neutralized bulldozer, its driver still stunned in his glass cockpit. In his stupor, the rat caught a glimpse of a passing shadow. Looking up, he saw BJ balancing a road roller above her head while wearing a maniacal expression on her face.

"THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!" And with that, BJ threw the heavy vehicle at the bulldozer, crumpling it like a sledgehammer smashing a box of tissue papers. Job done, BJ revved her chainsaw and faced the group of rats that had been in idle with awe the whole time. You had to feel sorry for those rats.

"Chu, you'll pay for this!" defiantly shouted one of the gold rats. Up until this point, a couple dozen rats had already been incapacitated. While none of the Devs were significantly injured, they should have enough numbers to eventually get them.

' _Chu, where is that underling Linda?'_ furiously thought the rat. ' _If she was here, we wouldn't have to waste so much manpower, chu...'_

The ragdoll of a purple rat flew past the gold rat's head, colliding with a steel I-beam. Seeing as to how Weaver had shifted her focus on another rat and Cog and Bell gunning down another couple of rats, the gold rat grimaced as it was now his turn to charge into the fray.

* * *

 _*Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!*_

Bell's sentry gun blasted away at all available targets while she clobbered any rat nearest to her. She kicked one purple rat in the center mass before doing a golf-swing at his head, sending him cartwheeling into the air. Close to him, Cog threw her now-empty and smoking machine gun towards the closest group of rats where it exploded.

Cog materialized an identical machine gun, fully loaded this time. "Keep comin' ya vermin bastards! Yer asses are all grass an' I'm the freakin' lawn mower!"

Off to the side, a squad of rats was brushed aside by Weaver's whip-like sword while another was busy getting pancaked by BJ's bodyslams. SPARK was holding her own by virtue of being at the rear behind cover, providing overwatch with her crossbow while Kreass kept the rats occupied with her alternating between melee and ranged combat.

' _... Hang on, are we missing something?'_

Bell's thoughts were interrupted when a rat tackled her from behind. She grunted as she stumbled and nearly fell over. She quickly turned around and swung her crowbar, meeting the rat's face as it dashed for a follow-up attack. The rat fell like a sack of potatoes with a waning "Chuuuuu..."

The rat's numbers were dwindling, but some of the rats were getting close. Weaver stabbed the ground, causing sharp elastic spires to erupt from the ground to flail nearby rats only to be tackled by a rat wielding a wrench. A few rats who avoided the carnage were flanking around the team, threatening SPARK's position. A large contingent of rats were preoccupied with BJ as she tore through them, oblivious to how outnumbered she was.

"Y'ALL GET DOWN!" shouted Cog as she scattered a fistful of soda can-like objects all over the area. Everyone within earshot immediately disengaged from the rats and sought whatever cover they could find; whatever Cog threw, they didn't want to waste time asking questions.

The objects scattered across the ground amongst the rats and a split-second later the area around the Devs exploded all around them, bathing the surrounding debris, tools, boxes, and rats in fire. But from the initial explosions came similar objects, albeit smaller ones from each grenade. And like the bombs they came out of, the smaller copies exploded, creating a maelstrom of explosions, carnage, and dust clouds.

A shower of dirt and broken splinters rained on anyone who survived the onslaught. Silence fell upon the battlefield - or perhaps it was due to Bell's ears ringing from the deafening explosions. Gradually, her hearing began to recover and she could finally hear herself groan as she got up, her orange jacket stained with dust. Bell looked around and saw the other Devs slowly get up.

"... Everyone okay?" asked Bell who coughed from the thick cloud of dust.

"I'm as fine as a unbranded cattle here, Bell."

"Still in one piece."

"... Annoyed, but in a far better condition than the vermin..."

"Haha! That was freakin' awesome! I want something like that next time!"

"... Ow."

"Hey SPARK, you okay?" asked Bell.

"I said 'ow', didn't I?"

The dust started to clear and everyone could see that the rat army was practically annihilated. The handful fortunately enough to survive had just retreated to the main building, closing the front entrance shut. With all Devs accounted for, the battle was won, but now they had another one to fight before they could rescue Nitroplus.

Kreass fished out a scrap of cloth from her pockets and wiped her spectacles before putting them back on. She studied the building which lay before them.

"It appears that all we have fought were mere pawns. None of them appear to be the leader which I presume is residing within that building," stated Kreass. "Hmph. By sacrificing the pawns, that should leave the king vulnerable. All that's left… is checkmate."

"Yeah, well chess doesn't incorporate hostages," said Weaver who began making her way to the front entrance. She gave it a forceful push, but the doors held firm.

As everyone gathered by the entrance, Bell couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something. Uneasy, she quickly looked around. Right now, herself, Cog, Weaver, BJ, SPARK, and Kreass were all accounted for so -

Wait…

"Hey, where did Raw Meat go?"

* * *

She wasn't sure how much time she spent. Ever since she found herself here, she had lost track of time. But time was lost in Nitroplus's thoughts. If anything, she felt as though she's been the rat's prisoner for a long long time. She wasn't even sure if she could remember what it was like before she was kidnapped.

In fact, she could barely remember what she was like before. The Nitroplus she thought she knew - was starting to be a fleeting memory.

Linda's words plagued her thoughts. Her words that dismantled Nitroplus's initial perceptions and assumptions that she had taken for granted had been invalidated and turned on their heads. But above all, one thing Linda said stuck in her head.

' _If things were different, you'd probably be useful working with us.'_

Her, working with them? How could Linda ever come to that conclusion? That just because Nitroplus wasn't that pure or faultless meant that she should work for the bad guys? Sure, Nitroplus may or may not be a real hero she thought she could be. But that didn't invalidate the evil that was the rats and their machinations.

She might not be the hero, but they were still the enemy.

Nitroplus raised her head up slightly and found that she was alone in the room. She tested the bonds around her wrists and ankles. Then she did it again, with more force and causing a small shuffling sound. If she was guarded, she would've noticed them at some point.

She'll break free from the chair. She'll find a way out of the building and find a way back to her companions. And if Linda or any rat tries to stop her…

They're her enemy; they're the villains of this land and she'll treat them as such. She'll fight them, however many there are. And she'll kill them. She'll kill every rat if she has to. She's already killed plenty of bad guys - why stop there?

' _Me, useful working for them? Ha...'_ thought Nitroplus with dark intentions in her mind. ' _They got another thing coming to them...'_

As she tried to wriggle free, her bonds began straining. The durable tape around her wrist slightly loosened, but each tug elicited a grunt. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, something moved in the doorframe and looking up -

"... Raw Meat?"

"Meat! It is I!" Raw Meat scurried into the room without wasting a second. "The Devs are right outside fighting the rats! I managed to sneak past them all and find an air duct!"

Nitroplus was thankful to see a familiar friendly face, especially from Raw Meat. But looking at her and down to her bonds…

"Hang on, how do you intend to free me?"

"Don't sweat the details, Nitroplus! My capabilities meat and exceed standards!"

And with that, Raw Meat threw herself on top of the tape on Nitroplus's left wrist. Nitroplus felt the tape be violently tugged like a dog biting down his favorite toy. Within a second, the tape began to fall apart and with a forceful pull, Nitroplus was finally able to break free from one of her restraints. With her left hand free, they went straight to the other bonds.

With both her hands free, Nitroplus and Raw Meat were busy cutting the restraints around her ankles before they heard a terrible booming sound and felt the room slightly tremble. Nitroplus wondered to herself what it could've been but right now, she needed to be freed from the chair quickly before anyone noticed.

After a few tense seconds of breaking the rest of her bonds, Nitroplus was now able to stand. Well, she would've if she hadn't been tied down to the chair for quite a length of time and the sudden rush of getting up caused her to slightly stumble. Raw Meat came to her side.

"Meat! You're bruised all over! Are you okay?" Urgent concern filled Raw Meat's voice.

"I'm… I can still stand," replied Nitroplus who waved off the extent of her injuries. Then her expression darkened. "... I still have unfinished business to attend to."

Standing firmly, she flexed her fingers and her katana materialized. She turned a left out of the room and found herself almost bumping into a pair of rats. The rats hesitated, as the unexpected caught them off guard. On impulse, Nitroplus slashed the nearest rat and kicked the other, throwing him to the ground nursing his gut, squeaking in pain.

Nitroplus approached the writhing rat and the very sight of it disgusted her. Before, she saw them as mere villains to defeat in the name of good. But now, she saw them as something more than inconsequential criminals; that they were living breathing beings, with personalities and feelings of their own. That those she has been fighting could be so… human.

It disgusted Nitroplus who put a swift end to the rat.

She continued down the corridor of unfinished plaster and decayed paint, determined to defeat the rats no matter what it takes. She still had a duty to attend to.

And she still had a score to settle with Linda. It didn't matter is she was a nobody or a deity - there was still hell to pay.

* * *

Everyone glanced around, but couldn't find her. She couldn't have gotten lost in the middle of battle, has she? And if so, why hasn't she returned? Just how could a floating strip of meat disappear from view?

Kreass sighed in annoyance. "Oh blast it all! I highly doubt he's met his end to the rats and even if he did, I presume she ran off on her own. Regardless, we have this barricade to breach."

BJ punched the door, leaving a noticeable dent on the surface. "Knock-knock! It's the pizza delivery guy! Open sesame!"

"Um… I don't think they'll buy that..." SPARK timidly said.

"The hell do you mean?! It's pizza! Everyone buys that!"

Kreass's patience was starting to thin. "When you are done with your foolishness, I would like to get this over with. We still have not yet ascertained who is leading these rats so -"

"Speak of the devil, and she shall appear!"

The Devs looked up to find the source of the triumphant voice and saw what appeared to be some kind of girl wearing grey baggy pants and unbuttoned hoodie standing a couple floors above. But what caught their attention was the color of her skin and hair - even by this world's standards the appearance was odd.

The girl continued with her dramatic introduction. "All you bitches are gonna rue the day you thought you could mess with me, Linda, the most badass member of -"

"Boooo!" jeered BJ.

"Stupid-ass name if you ask me!" added Cog who threw in a one-finger salute for good measure.

Linda was insulted by her reception. "Hey, what the hell?! Do you have a freakin' idea who you're messing with?!" she shouted angrily.

Her demand was met with blank stares from the Devs below. "... Nope. No idea who you are, why we should be afraid, or why you're dressed up in something that I could find in a 100-Credit Store," remarked Bell.

Behind Linda, a couple rats snickered. Linda shot them an intense glare but the rats were only partially fazed.

"Hey dipshit! I bet your mom was a hamster!" called BJ.

"You idiot! Do I look like a hamster?!" yelled Linda.

"And I bet your daddy smelled like elderberries!"

"You don't know jack about me!" Linda shot back. Then she said to herself, "And what the hell is an elderberry?"

BJ leaned close to Bell. "I think she's in denial," she muttered.

Kreass rolled her eyes. "Can we get this charade over with? We don't have all day."

BJ groaned in annoyance. "Whatever." She summoned her rocket launcher and took a single step back. Bell could see where this was going and backed away; the others, while they weren't sure, noticed and mimicked her action.

Linda turned her attention back to the Devs and saw what they were doing. "Hey, what the hell are you twerps planning?!"

But before she had a chance to say another word or comprehend what will happen next, an explosion rocketed BJ right up in Linda's face.

"WHAT THE - ?!"

BJ planted both feet at the edge and quickly snatched Linda with her hands before Linda could even raise her iron pipe in defense.

"COME WITH ME, WE'RE GOING ON A MAGICAL JOURNEY!" laughed BJ as she pulled Linda in and threw both herself and Linda off the side of the building...

And all the way down to the hard dirt and earth, with BJ landing on top of Linda.

"... Owwwwwww-ow-ow-ahhhh..." groaned Linda who had curled up into a fetal position whilst cradling her head. And just like that, the so-called badass of the rat organization lay on the ground defeated and in pain.

Bell glanced at the cringing, incapacitated form that was Linda who mere moments ago, seemingly set herself up as someone different from the rats, someone who could've given them a memorable fight. "... Well that was anticlimactic."

Kreass knelt down next to her and grabbed Linda by her jacket collar. "So what do you have to say for yourself?"

Sucking in air between clenched teeth, Linda hissed back. "... Don't treat me like some expendable grunt!... I'm the boss of this establishment and if you don't get your punk-ass hand off of me, my boot is gonna be so far up your ass people will have to redefine what putting one's foot in one's mouth means!"

BJ picked up Linda's metal pipe off the ground and making sure that she could see her, BJ grabbed the pipe on both ends and effortlessly bent it in a U-shape. Linda's expression of slight shock was punctuated by BJ casually tossing the bent pipe to the ground as though it was trash.

The sight made Kreass smirk. "... Checkmate."

Bell approached Linda, crowbar in hand. "You kidnapped a friend of ours and you're the self-proclaimed head honcho of the rats. So where is she?"

Though surrounded and at a disadvantage, Linda glared at Bell and injected as much mockery as she could in her response. "You're friend? She's somewhere in this city, that answer your question?"

Linda's retort was met by a not-too gentle strike at her head, courtesy of Cog and her machine gun. "Argh!" squawked Linda. "... Asshole!"

Kreass approached the barricaded entrance and knocked twice. "We have one of your own out here! Surrender now and we won't have to exterminate the lot of you!"

The demand was met with silence. A moment passed before Linda got unruly and yelled loudly to the rats inside. "Yo, dumbasses! I'm out here! Ya hear me?! You better get your asses in gear and do something!" A smack to the back of her head interrupted Linda, yet her shouts resulted in no response from the building.

"... Gee, I guess even the rats don't like her, huh?" wondered Weaver, bemusement across her face. "I can see it now: Dear Diary, today we kicked the rat leader's ass so hard they no longer want her."

"YOU BASTARDS!" shrieked Linda. Again, her tirades made no response to the rats inside, not even a rat face poking out to see what was going on. Eventually, the enduring silence and inactivity were starting to irritate Kreass and BJ.

"This farce has gone on too long," said Kreass. "Let us end this already."

Marching up to the entrance, BJ gave it a strong kick, contorting the doors slightly out of shape but still held to the frame. Taking a small step back, BJ threw herself forward which caused the doors and barricade to give way and -

"... Nitroplus?"

As soon as Bell recognized two familiar figures standing in the open some ways behind the entrance, the words escaped her mouth. The sight of all the incapacitated rats strewn about in the interior didn't help either, their bodies in various positions and covered in numerous wounds. Everyone could see that Nitroplus was equally wounded, parts of her face covered in bruises.

BJ gazed around the room, taking in the sight of all the rats already defeated by Nitroplus. "Geez, couldn't let the party wait for us, huh?"

Nitroplus didn't respond, merely glancing at BJ. Then she glanced at the rest of the Devs, taking the most time with Kreass. But eventually, her gaze rested on Linda and she narrowed her eyes. Ignoring BJ and questions from others, Nitroplus tightened her grip on her katana and walked towards Linda.

Everyone gave her a bewildered look as she got closer, her eyes dead-set on Linda who merely sat upright and smirked back. Not even Raw Meat's words seem to reach Nitroplus's ears as she walked right up in front of Linda, stopped, and then…

… Nitroplus whipped out her gun and shot Linda in the shoulder.

Cog immediately grabbed Nitroplus's gun arm and tried to wrestle it away from Linda who squirmed and cried from the pain. "Hey hey hey! What in hell's incarnation are ya doin', Nitry?!"

"Get off of me!" Nitroplus shouted as she tried to wrestle her arm free. She tried to pry Cog's grip away with her free hand until Bell grabbed hold of it and pulled it away. Nitroplus continued to shout and struggle with tenacity they've never seen. She growled as she fought, never stopping to glare daggers at Linda.

"I said get off of me!"

Cog hit her at the back of her head. "And I said what tha hell are ya doin'!"

Weaver came up to the wounded Linda and started dragging her away from Nitroplus. Seeing how she was acting - all of it directed to Linda - she couldn't but wonder just what happened while Nitroplus was held captive. Linda's wound wasn't too bad but either way, it was best to get authorities involved. Weaver looked up at Kreass who simply gave a small nod and started dialing a number on her phone.

Despite her circumstances, Linda managed to make a short, soft cackle. "Just… look at you!... I messed you up real good! Go on… do with me however you want… There's always gonna be… others to take our place."

Nitroplus refused to take her eyes off of Linda, whose expression taunted and dared her. Even with her arms pinned by Bell and Cog, she repeatedly tried to wrench them free to strike Linda down.

And then Raw Meat fluttered in between the two.

"T-that's enough now! You don't have to go that far, meat! T-try to remember what you wanted to be!"

' _What I… wanted to be?'_ The words seem to finally calm Nitroplus down as her breathing subsided and she ceased struggling. ' _A… a protector of justice - a hero of sorts. This… this isn't...'_

The weapons in Nitroplus's hands disappeared and reluctantly, Bell and Cog let go of her. Her arms fell limp at her sides and her expression changed from one of hate but that of exhaustion. With a trembling hand, she brought it to rest on the bruised part of her face before almost falling backward to sit down.

Meanwhile, Raw Meat had Linda's complete attention as she looked at her with a dumbfounded look. Slowly, Linda tapped her finger on Weaver to get her attention. "Uh, hey… mind doing me a favor?"

"What?"

Linda pointed to Raw Meat. "Can you pinch me? 'Cause that can't be real. I'm like, not dead, am I?"

Before Weaver could reply, a shadow descended upon Linda. She looked up to see BJ standing over her. Showing Linda her prominent fang as she smiled, BJ leaned in while cracking her knuckles. "Funny question coming from someone who looks like a corpse. Guess we're gonna find out what you are right now."

Gazing into her shark-like teeth, Linda had no choice but to accept the inevitable staring right at her with malevolent intentions.

* * *

Minutes later, the sound of sirens filled the air around the construction site that served as the rat's main base. Numerous law enforcement personnel went to and fro around the area, collecting evidence, detaining the surviving rats, and confiscating their equipment. Turns out, the rat's main base was chock-full of tools to crack open game files and disposable storage devices. The police even found the bus that had been used in an earlier attack on the _Lingua Cipher_ library as well as evidence of illegal weapons. The sheer amount of equipment and personnel present that had somehow escaped everyone's notice was far more than what anyone had encounter up to this point.

The paramedics had their hands full tending to whatever injured rat they could find as well as the gunshot wound in Linda's shoulder. A number of Pedissia enforcement personnel as well as Kreass, BJ, and Weaver stood closeby to make sure Linda didn't do anything funny until she was properly detained.

As her wounds were tended to, Linda could only rock herself back-and-forth, muttering monotonously with a thousand-yard stare. "... Not again… not again… once was enough… it's… like that day at the beach again… not again..." Her trance made her unresponsive to everything except whenever BJ looked anywhere in Linda's general direction; at which point Linda would suddenly flinch and shiver in fear until BJ looked away.

Kreass gazed towards the building across the street past the police tap - in the direction of where the rest were. Minutes before, they took Nitroplus someplace secluded to console her. It seemed as though her time as a hostage to Linda did something to her - in her head at least. From the way the others reacted to her actions, Kreass suspected that it wasn't how Nitroplus was naturally.

Kreass couldn't help but quietly sigh to herself. ' _Those Cape Aspiration peasants...'_

"Um, miss!" Kreass turned to see a young well-groomed women followed by a man with equipment on his back accompanied by a camera drone. The reporters had arrived on scene.

The women directed her microphone towards Kreass who remained unperturbed, if slightly annoyed. "Miss Kreass, we heard word that you and few other Devs were directly involved in what transpired moments ago! Is this in any relation to what occurred at your library?"

"Yes."

"And what exactly happened here that involved the presence of you and other goddesses of this land?"

Kreass quickly glanced around what had been a battleground and thought back to all of today's events before she gave her response. "... Piracy bust."

The reporter looked interested. "It looked like quite an event for something of that sort."

"The perpetrators were… uncooperative," Kreass replied coolly.

Her eyes quickly glanced back towards the building where the rest were. Being put on live news would help raise their Acclaim but it was already starting to annoy her, especially since reporters tended to pester with questions and then words get distorted on media networks. ' _This better not take long...'_

* * *

Deep in an alleyway outside the construction site, Bell, Cog, SPARK, and Nitroplus leaned against the walls or sat on whatever clean spots there were. The overcast sun covered the alley in shadow with practically everyone quietly resting from the hectic day.

Bell sat on the lid of a closed dumpster, resting with the back of her head resting against the brick wall and her eyes closed. Next to her was Cog who was resting her head on Bell's lap while quietly humming something. SPARK was on the other side mumbling something about barbarians and landmarks.

And in front of Bell was Nitroplus who sat on the ground with her forehead resting on knees that she brought close to her. Raw Meat was beside her, concern clear on her face but further attempts to cheer her up had been inconclusive. It was wordlessly decided that it would be best to give Nitroplus her space and let her sort things out at her own pace. The Devs were tired and Nitroplus needed some time to be alone - no better way to mutually benefit if there ever was.

What had originally began as a promising day with a tranquil start had instead become one of chaos, twists, and turns. Thankfully, they found the rats they were looking for and managed to shut down more of their operations. And it was their biggest base to date, so they got this in the bag.

But as Bell yawned and wished for a vacation she felt she deserved, a small seed of doubt told her that this wasn't over yet.


	9. Chapter 8: Sun and Sea

**Chapter 8: Sun and Sea**

"Well butter my biscuit and call it a twinkie, it's the beach!" Cog hollered as she ran out onto the yellow sands of the Calipolis beach while wearing her yellow one-piece swimsuit and with a swim ring around around her waist. She twirled twice, laughing the whole time. The wide beach was already populated by throngs of vacationers who were all looking for a place to melt their worries and concerns away under the bright sun.

"... I hate beaches," muttered Bell who wore an orange skirtini. ' _Of all the places to go to take a break...'_ she thought. She certainly would've settled with staying at a luxury motel for a week or go back home; being outdoors under the burning sun was not her idea of fun.

At her side was Weaver, BJ, and SPARK, all of whom were in their respective swimsuits of various styles and colors. Weaver had a black two piece swimsuit around the waist and chest, both of reasonable size. BJ, on the other hand, had thin strings that held her red parts up (in which Cog refuses to look due to jealousy). And SPARK had a singular lime green piece that was open to the back from neck to just above the hip, with a small bag dangling from a shoulder-strap. Nitroplus and Raw Meat had yet to be ready, so for now it was just them. As far as Bell's eyes could see, the beach divided the blue sea from the white spire-like buildings that decorated the skyline, splitting the sky with jagged edges. Such was the general appearance of Calipolis.

' _Bet Kreass wouldn't enjoy beaches either,'_ Bell thought. ' _That reminds me...'_

* * *

APPROXIMATELY A DAY AGO…

Evening was setting in by the time everyone returned to _Lingua Cipher_. The front entrance was still trashed but at least Kreass knew a back entrance. They went near the back of the library and went down a short staircase to a door. Kreass gingerly fished out a key from her waistcoat pocket and unlocked the door. Wordlessly, she entered and the rest took it as an implicit sign that they could enter as well.

Upon entering what appeared to be some kind of basement of the library, everyone was met with an low-light stuffy atmosphere. The smell of parchment permeated the air - the whole room smelled antique and ancient. Then Kreass switched on a lamp and the room and everyone saw that they had entered a rather posh habitat, with wooden floorboards and rich carpet at the center. Old but luxurious furniture lined the walls and around the room and stacks of books and paper could be seen throughout. There was even a fireplace in one of the walls, a large stone indent with charred twigs sitting in its mouth.

"Wow, you really are a basement dweller," joked Cog.

"Very funny, Cog. Perhaps you should seek future employment as my personal jester," retorted Kreass as she went to work lighting the fireplace.

Everyone made themselves comfortable in two wide velvet sofas. On one, SPARK sat close to the stacks of books and papers, intrigued by their contents. Likewise, Weaver looked around to see all the books that were in Kreass's abode. BJ and Cog slumped down on the sofa with disinterest in their faces. Bell, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat sat on the other one.

The musty air hung still as they sat in silence while Kreass lit the fireplace. Once the fire's light and warmth spread across the room, Kreass strolled over to her guests, who didn't say a peep. Moments of awkward silence and staring ensued as neither party was in much interest to strike up a conversation.

Finally, Kreass broke the ice with a sigh. "None of you are staying here for the night. I expect all of you to find somewhere else to stay."

Weaver glanced at Kreass who walked on the far corner of a room before flicking her sidetail back. "Thanks."

"I wasn't finished," curtly replied Kreass. "I doubt this quest of yours is finished yet. If what you said about encountering them back in Conderica is true, then this organization of theirs is too large and equipped for us to defeat in one stroke."

She paused to walk over to a small round table which had a pitcher and glass cup and proceeded to pour herself a drink in the cup. "I know someone within PING who could help us ascertain the rat's true strength. It shouldn't take long but you find something to preoccupy your time."

Weaver turned to face Bell. "Any ideas?" she asked. Bell shrugged apathetically. "I'm pretty agnostic about what to do, so long as it's not about fighting rats. I think I've my fill of that for today."

Weaver shifted her gaze to Nitroplus, who was busy staring off through the small windows. Raw Meat rested on Nitroplus's shoulder, her face obscured by Nitroplus's dark blue hair. Weaver looked at BJ who seemed to pay no attention, busy digging the wax out of her ears. Looking at Cog, she saw the same thing.

' _Geez, apathetic, much?'_ thought Weaver. She turned to face SPARK. "Hey, SPARK, any ideas?"

SPARK had her back to Weaver and didn't immediately respond. Scooting close, Weaver stealthily peered over SPARK's shoulder to see her pull out a loose pamphlet from one of Kreass's books. The pamphlet appeared to be junk mail advertising locales of other cities and on it, it proudly depicted the view of a beach with tall white buildings that were a far cry from what you would find in Conderica or Pedissia. Weaver recognized what it was.

"Hey, let's head over to Calipolis and visit a beach!" she announced. As she was unaware of Weaver's close proximity, SPARK jumped in surprise and almost smacked Weaver with her head.

Weaver's announcement caught everyone's attention. Bell gave Weaver a look of disbelief. "... Really? Why there?"

"Well, I didn't hear you offer any suggestions," replied Weaver. "And frankly, we could all use a break - just like your average show where going to a beach is a trope. So, those in favor?"

Her question was initially met with hesitation. But slowly Nitroplus raised her hand and Raw Meat voiced her support. Looking around, Weaver asked, "Okay, those who _aren't_ in favor?" Only Bell raised her hand; all the rest were indifferent to the vote.

But that was good enough for Weaver. "Two-to-one in favor of going to the beach. I guess the people have spoken."

But Bell wasn't about to let the beach-favorers win so easily. "Hang on, you do realize Calipolis is on the other side of the continent, right? That means we're going to have to slough all the way through the Turing Woodlands just to get there."

"Oh how little you know, Bell," Kreass piped in. "For the past couple of weeks, the two halves of the PC Continent have been at work developing the proper infrastructure to enable expedient travel and trade. If my information is correct - and it usually is - they should be about complete and ready for a public unveiling."

SPARK raised her head, her antennas perking up. "Wow, uh, an actual city connection? Um, that does mean we don't have to worry about monsters anymore, right?"

"But of course. The 'Trans-Continental Circuit' is a rail line designed to transport all manner of cargo and people while deterring wild monsters. The last part itself was why this took a while to be established."

Weaver rose out of her seat while checking her computer. "Perfect! From what I've found, it can even transport vehicles. Now all we have to do is head back to my car and we're all set!"

Kreass gulped down the rest of her drink before picking up the pitcher. "Yes yes, you're all set. Now please make yourselves scarce. I'll contact you once I obtain information; I expect you to be timely on your return once I do."

As Bell pulled herself out of the sofa, she heaved a sigh.

* * *

… and sighed again as she found herself on the same beach. Bell couldn't believe that once they departed, returned to Weaver's car, found the Trans-Continental Circuit station, loaded up in one of their gigantic train cars, zipped past the Turing Woodlands within hours, booked a hotel room for the night, went to the beach in the early morning, and found a place to shop for swimsuits, that they would actually be visiting a beach of all places for their brief vacation.

Weaver stepped past Bell, breathing in the salty air that came in gentle gusts from the sea.

"Haven't seen a beach like this in ages!" happily spoke Weaver, stretching one arm above the other. "You'll get a good tan as well. Say, when's the last time you got a tan?"

Like… never," Bell quietly muttered as she looked down at her orange skirtini, the prominent bar of cloth covering her hip. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she wore anything so revealing in public and that very nature made her a little anxious.

"... At least, I'm not the one who's wearing something that barely qualifies as clothes," Bell said while pointing to BJ whose choice of fashion made her a little uncomfortable.

"You have a point, but she wants to wear it."

As soon as these words left Weaver's mouth, BJ jumped in front of both of them.

"Who the hell do you think I am?" shouted BJ in her general tone, "They had this lying around, and I intended to use it." She also twirled slightly for added effect.

Then, while full of energy, BJ ran for the ocean while cackling, "What a day! What a lovely day!" at the top of her lungs with Weaver close behind and Cog in pursuit not too far after. SPARK grabbed an umbrella and tried to sit on the silky sunbaked sand. Bell joined as soon as a large towel was found.

"Hey, uh, I have a towel right here for us to sit on," said Bell. SPARK looked up and began nervously walking to make room for the towel as she realized in hindsight how clumsy her actions were. Once the towel unfurled on the sand, the two sat on it whilst being shielded from the sun's gaze by the umbrella.

"Um… thanks," said SPARK quietly.

"Eh, no problem," replied Bell as she sat on the towel. "On a beach, one must always know where the towel is."

By now, Nitroplus had finally arrived with a picnic basket in hand. Nitroplus had black clothing that surrounded parts of the legs and arms with strap like parts. These parts were connected to the rest. A similar design to Weaver but more curved. Although a difference was a cat shaped hat that fit perfectly on her head, covering most of her hair. As Bell and SPARK looked up and wondered where Raw Meat was, they noticed one of the woven flaps open up and saw two beady eyes staring out. Clearly, she had intended to hide there from curious eyes.

But then again, Nitroplus was already attracting some onlookers, not all of them curious. Even Bell and SPARK couldn't help but look at Nitroplus's swimsuit with thinking how ridiculous it looked, with small straps covering parts of her thighs, arms, and neck along with that cat-hat.

"... I refuse to believe they had that for sale," stated Bell with a flat voice.

"They did, in fact. It seemed as though no one wanted it and it suited my tastes." Nitroplus's voice carried no sense of shame; if anything, she seemed somewhat confused as to why Bell and SPARK were gawking at her.

Once again, Cape Aspiration and Gamindustri culture had struck in PC land. Bell decided to drop the matter and faced the open ocean. Nitroplus set the basket down and sat in between Bell and SPARK and gazed at the ocean in silence. In the distance, they saw BJ rolling Cog in her float tube like a wheel down the beach while all Weaver could do was facepalm. After a moment of sitting in silence, Nitroplus stood up.

"If you don't mind, I'll go see if I can find a watermelon."

Bell looked up. "A watermelon? Why?"

"For watermelon splitting. Never heard of it?" Nitroplus's question was met with Bell shaking her head. "It's where you try to split open a watermelon while blindfolded before serving the pieces to everyone. It's a tradition from where I'm from."

"Sounds silly if you ask me," replied Bell. "And I'd rather not eat something with sand stuck in it..."

Disappointed, Nitroplus sat back down. The three of them watched in silence as they watched other people play, gossip, swim, jog, and lounge around. They watched as children digged in the sand and built sandcastles (and watched as BJ suplexed Cog into the one Weaver was making). All along the beach, they listened to the messy din of laughter, talk, shouts, and the roaring waves.

Such was the norm for the beaches of Calipolis.

Bell lay down on her back, well sheltered by the umbrella's shade. "Wake me up when this is all over," she yawned before closing her eyes.

* * *

While Bell slept, Nitroplus and SPARK sat quietly. Around them was the scent of sea water carried by ocean breeze. Sitting in silence, Nitroplus wondered if she could do something - anything other than sit idly. She heard a small shuffling sound and turned to see SPARK pulling out a small camera from her bag. SPARK fiddled with a switch and some buttons before she brought it up to her round glasses. She aimed the camera towards the west, towards the ocean and a click was heard. Then, she swiveled to face the tall white spires before the same clicking noise emanated from the camera.

Nitroplus was mystified and couldn't help but ask. "SPARK, what're you doing?"

"W-wha-? I, uh, I was taking photos." SPARK looked down to the camera in her hands as if to remind herself of what she was doing. "It's, uh, guilty pleasure er… hobby of mine. As well as, uh, collecting postcards of landmarks..."

Nitroplus couldn't help but smile a bit at hearing about SPARK's hobbies. She didn't know what to expect from someone like SPARK, but the innocent act of collecting certain objects was kinda… cute. Nitroplus wondered how that came to be; perhaps living out by your lonesome made one curious of the outside world at large.

An idea popped in Nitroplus's head. "Hey, would you take a photo of us?"

The camera tumbled about in SPARK's hands. "W-w-w-what?" she sputtered nervously. "I-I, uh, never gave much thought of, um, taking photos of others but-"

"Just some of us. We're your friends, right?"

SPARK paused to consider the point Nitroplus raised. Sure she had sole interest in collecting images of landmarks, but the Devs she was with was the closest thing she had to friends. No - the only friends she's had for a long long time. They were her friends, nothing less.

What harm would taking one or two photos do? SPARK sighed. "Um… alright. I, uh, guess I can take pictures of you guys..."

SPARK raised the camera up back towards the ocean and managed to spot Weaver, BJ, and Cog from the crowd. She waited until they were as close together as possible before snapping a picture. As she turned to Nitroplus, she shifted to make herself more presentable while Raw Meat poked out from the basket.

Taking Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Bell into the frame as best she could, SPARK took the picture.

* * *

Midday had passed, even BJ had been worn out by the time at the beach. That, and a few arguments between her and Cog with residents and other tourists that nearly spiralled out of controlled. At one point BJ somehow fished a dolphin out of the sea with her bare hands and had to release it under pressure from the lifeguards and Weaver (the dolphin swam home traumatized). As the hour started to pass and the vacationers departed, the team began packing up to return to the hotel they booked.

Nitroplus stood on the sand far from the sea with the picnic basket in her arms. She watched the Devs get together as they rolled up the towel and umbrella. The sea breeze blew past, blowing her hair behind her. Nitroplus felt something fly past her head and looking up, she realized that her hat was caught in the breeze.

She jogged after it, her eyes glued to the hat as it flew through the air. The breeze carried the hat far from her and finally Nitroplus saw it descend. Still locked on to the hat, she saw it land on the face of someone who was walking away from the beach.

Nitroplus caught up to the person who slowly reached up to touch the hat. Nitroplus immediately bowed low. "Sorry that my hat landed on your face. I hope it didn't bother you," she apologized. As the hat was removed from the stranger's face, Nitroplus looked up and saw that it was a girl with black hair as long as her's, but the girl was looked older than Nitroplus. The girl's eyes were equally dark as they glanced at the hat and at Nitroplus.

Without saying anything, the girl handed the hat back to Nitroplus. Not once did the girl express any emotion - if anything, she looked quite apathetic about it all. Another breeze came and this time, Nitroplus held tight to her hat. But the breeze seemed to make the dark-haired girl shiver and audibly express her discomfort. Without a moment's hesitation, the girl promptly turned and went away.

Nitroplus wasn't quite sure what to make of the stranger. The faraway calls from her companions interrupted whatever thoughts she had as she turned and headed back.

* * *

They finally returned to their hotel rooms after they found a quiet diner for lunch once they dried off and changed. Nothing special really came from it, other than BJ being herself as usual, wolfing down multiple plates and Bell vocally expressing her irritation of Weaver's fast metabolism.

It was Nitroplus's turn to use the bath in the room she shared with Bell and Cog. She waited as the hot tub water filled up before dipping in, her normal clothes neatly folded next to the sink. Like the steam that started filling the air, she let the water evaporate what discomfort she had.

But some things just wouldn't go away.

Absent-mindedly, Nitroplus touched her cheek; the same place where Linda struck her from before. This vacation might do wonders to ease her body, but not her mind. Ever since they left the nation of Pedissia behind, she had done nothing much except think. Think over what happened over a day ago. The bliss of a hot bath and disquieting thoughts created a strange and confliction juxtaposition of feelings.

"Hey, I've noticed you've been awfully quiet lately." Nitroplus peered to her side and found Raw Meat on the tub's edge. It seemed that someone had finally noticed; thinking in silence was something Nitroplus didn't like.

"It's… just something that's been in my mind lately," sighed Nitroplus. She didn't feel like mentioning what it was she was thinking about and Raw Meat had the intuition to know what the subject was. But Raw Meat couldn't let things be left unsaid; better to take care of it now than to let it simmer.

"Um, meat… If there's anything you want to confide with me, I'm here for you." Raw Meat knew that this may be a touchy subject; a careful approach was essential.

Nitroplus paused, glancing at Raw Meat before facing away from her. Not a word was exchanged and when Raw Meat started to believe that Nitroplus was avoiding the issue, she finally sighed. "... You know me too well sometimes."

She let herself sink a little in the bath water, as if it would help comfort her. Nitroplus collected her thoughts before she spoke. "Ever since that 'time', I've been… thinking. About what I've done... About what I'll do with myself."

Raw Meat stayed quiet, granting Nitroplus all the figurative room she needed. Nitroplus continued. "Back then, that… wretch dressed like a rat made me see how everything I've done made me no different from them." She paused to look at her companion with somber eyes.

"And… as much as I hate to admit it… she's right." As Nitroplus looked away, Raw Meat could see her eyes slowly began to water up. "I… I really did hurt them. All of them, didn't I? I-I honestly believed that I was doing good… I _wanted_ to believe that I was doing good. But… but I wasn't! Looking back, all I've accomplished so far was commit violence, not protect others! I… I..."

"... Back when we first met Weaver, she didn't seem to believe my words. I didn't know why she was like that, but now I think I know why: I was a fool for deluding myself in my own heroism," Nitroplus paused as she inhaled. "Face it, I'm just another vil-"

"Nitroplus! Don't make such conclusions!" reassured Raw Meat. "Just because you weren't acting like a good guy doesn't meat that you aren't one! It's why you do things that counts!"

The words gave Nitroplus pause. Sensing the opportunity, Raw Meat continued. "Sure they might claim you're not heroic and you might agree, but that won't stop you from doing good, right, meat? So long as you fight for justice, that's good enough! And besides, who are they to say about who you are or what you think?"

Slowly, but steadily, Raw Meat could see that her words were having a positive effect on Nitroplus. The anguish in her eyes began to give way to liveliness. She blinked to stop herself from tearing up before wiping them off her face for good.

"I… I appreciate your words," said Nitroplus, her voice quiet but softened by the words of encouragement. "I'll take your words to heart."

"And don't forget," continued Raw Meat. "We're long-time partners! No matter what, you'll always be a good guy to me, meat!"

For once, Nitroplus let herself smile a little - a sad smile. Raw Meat continued to offer comforting words that she appreciated, and deep down, she realized that Raw Meat raised good points. But at the same time, Nitroplus knew that the same could be said of her enemies'.

And where did her Dev allies lie in the idealism/realist scale? How can they accomplish what she couldn't? Were they simply stronger than she originally assumed? Or was she missing something?

The questions and doubts lingered, but for now Nitroplus felt a little better.

* * *

Night had long settled in. At this time of day, almost all would have returned home and be fast asleep awaiting the next day. But Nitroplus was not among those. Even under the bedsheets, sleep couldn't come to her as she could only stare in the pitch dark hotel room. Bell, Cog, and even Raw Meat were already fast asleep, so all Nitroplus could do was dwell in the silence. Left to her own thoughts, she was starting to detest silent nothingness.

Just like at the bath, she was alone with her thoughts to stew. But even if she didn't come to terms with them, Raw Meat helped give her a starting point - the first crack in the shell of disillusionment for her to take advantage of.

Nitroplus thought over what she said before: how see saw how deluded and naive she was, how her actions made her more like the villains she fought. Nitroplus thought over what Raw Meat said: how she was her own person and that no matter what, she was still a good person at heart.

So what was she? Which version of Nitroplus is she now?

…

… What about both?

It was clear that she wasn't the pure good guy who always saves others and never promotes violence. But like what Raw Meat said: she could still do good so long as she did them for good reasons. Having others see her as an actual hero would be an exaggeration, but she wasn't doing it for public fame - just a personal duty.

She turned her head to the side to see Bell and Cog dozing. Nitroplus wondered how they weren't plagued by those thoughts. Did they already come to terms with them? Or did they willfully ignore them? She thought back to when each of them joined her quest. Most of them were here for their own reasons, not all of them primarily altruistic. If anything, they didn't act until she came to them.

Was it the norm for those with great power to be in the hands of those who didn't act responsibly? Thinking about it, Nitroplus realized that there wasn't much to stop a Dev from acting irresponsibly with the privileges her powers granted. Yet, she saw evidence that they were like people: different in literally every aspect and even personable (she's still on the fence about BJ).

Nitroplus realized that Devs were neither purely good or evil - they just sat in between, free from the shackles of duties and responsibilities a nation's leader might face despite the Devs' divine status.

Her mind wandered back to what Linda told her when they saw each other for the last time. About how even if she defeated her and the rats, there would be more to take their place. Good guys rose up to face evil whenever it sprung up, but what if it was the other way around? What if she wasn't the effect, but rather, the cause?

To her, an ideal world was one without evil. But did it also demand the absence of people like her?

…

Nitroplus decided to confine her thoughts to herself. She would keep them hidden from the Devs, even from Bell and Cog. She didn't want to make things any more complicated than they were and chances were, they might not understand.

This was her journey - a journey she chose for herself, and thus she was bound to accept whatever repercussions her actions caused. This was her mission: to defeat all evil. That was her battle.

And the Devs had their own.

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Calipolis *****  
The southernmost nation of the PC Continent, Calipolis lies directly south of Conderica and is situated near the bottom of the mainland. Their geographic position grants the nation their trademark warm climate which augments their vast agricultural infrastructure, especially their famous orchards and vineyards whose products are shipped throughout the PC Continent. Like Conderica, Calipolis has densely-packed urban centers but contains more research centers and R&D facilities, making Calipolis very technologically advanced

Calipolis' Corlast resembles a white and grey spire that is responsible for providing much of the capital's electrical power and data networks. It is recognizable not just for its size and majesty but also for the array of satellite dishes and antennas mounted all over the building. The leader and top staff of Calipolis reside near the very top floors of the building. The Corlast is also known for being immaculately clean on the inside.  
***** End of Entry *****

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES:_

 _HistoricHippos:  
_ To be honest, the last few chapters in hindsight started to feel like I was phoning it in when it came to pacing and serious character interactions, especially when it involves Nitroplus and her inner thoughts and turmoil. I guess it feels somewhat forced but oh well.


	10. Chapter 9: Company of Combatants

**Chapter 9: Company of Combatants**

"Bell, c'mon! You want your mornin' vittles or what?"

"Hmph… five more minutes… too comfy right now..."

Cog was already dressed in her usual clothes and so was Nitroplus. Raw Meat fluttered close to the latter as usual. Bell continued to wrap herself in the blankets and curl in a ball on the hotel bed. The sun had been up for quite some time and Cog's stomach was starting to get the rumblies that only a steak breakfast would satisfy. Problem was, Bell lingered on her bed, throwing a wrench in their plans to head down to the hotel lobby for breakfast.

"Grmph… Did I tell you that I hate getting up early…?" Bell groaned beneath the wrinkled white covers.

"It's almost 8, Bell."

"... Same thing."

"C'mon Bell. You're gonna miss out on breakfast," whined Cog as she repeatedly shoved the sleeping form of Bell. "If you don't haul yer butt out there, we're gonna have to go without you."

Cog's plea was met with a muffled grunt from Bell who curled up in the blankets even deeper. A subtle rumbling sound was heard and Cog's face reddened in response. She growled in frustration, rubbing her face with both hands. But then, Cog stopped - an idea popped in her head. She let her hands rest on her hips and began talking loudly to no one in particular

"Oh boy! I can't seem to get Belly here outta the bed! Maybe… _maybe_ I should invite BJ here and let her work her magic on you! Her special, _special_ magic!"

The tangle of blankets jerked up and everyone saw it take a vague human shape. A slip of the sheets gave way to reveal Bell's face: irritated by both the threat and sudden awakening. She glared at Cog with squinting eyes due to her annoyance and because she wasn't wearing her glasses.

"... I hate you sometimes Coggie," she huffed as she finally got out of bed.

* * *

The breakfast down in the hotel lobby was quite pleasant, but Bell wasn't quite too interested. Despite the rather relaxing atmosphere courtesy of the warm glow of ceiling lamps, soft leather seats, and jukebox, the only thing that remotely caught Bell's interest was the wide flat-screen television that hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room. A well-groomed newscaster sat off-center in the screen, with visuals and special effects taking up the empty space.

"... according to our experts, multiple game stores have reported a slight drop in smalls ranging between 6% to 10% for the past month. They fear that it is due to the work of video game pirates. As our analysts have noticed a small uptick in piracy, the fears may be quite justified. And in other news, the representative of the Weiss Guild made a public statement..."

It was currently stuck on the boring news channel but it at least better than lounging around having to listen some boring songs coming from the jukebox's scratchy speakers. Especially if it's playing country music, which seemed to be aggravating Weaver as she pestered Cog to change the music to something else.

Bell droned out Weaver's complaints as her eyes stay glued to the TV. Right now, the channel was just starting to report yesterday's events.

"... and just yesterday, a significant group of video game pirates hidden in Pedissia was apprehended. But other than the unexpected presence of such a large and organized group of rat felons that managed to hide within the capital, what was most intriguing was that they were brought down by a small group of Devs."

Bell raised an eyebrow once she heard the newscaster mention the word. ' _Oh this ought to be fun.'_

"... Never in the past couple of years have we seen anything like this. The ones that were at the scene were identified to be prominent goddesses such as Weaver, Kreass, and BJ. Local police mentioned others but..."

BJ let out a whoop at the mention of her name. Heaving heard her name, Weaver looked up to see a footage of herself, forgetting her irritation with Cog's choice of music. Nitroplus watched the news go on as it played snippets of an reporter attempting to interview Kreass before moving on to Weaver who seemed more approachable for questions.

From what Nitroplus could hear, the news report was quite praising of the Devs. Around her, Bell looked disinterested while Cog and SPARK looked attentive. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Weaver beaming at seeing their actions praised. She quietly tapped on her shoulder and upon getting Weaver's attention, whispered to her.

"You seem quite pleased with yourself." Weaver simply sipped from her cup of decaffeinated coffee before she murmured back.

"Well, good public relations never hurt. More Acclaim the better. Even if I don't do heroics for a living, it sure feels good."

Nitroplus nodded. She knew what Weaver was talking about, the pleasure one feels for upholding morals, particularly those made by oneself. It didn't matter what others thought, doing good came from one's inner being.

It was something Nitroplus would take to heart.

Suddenly, the report was halted by the newscaster leaving her segment unfinished as she put her finger to her earpiece. Whatever the unexpected event was, it was something drastic as the newscaster's expressions changed to shock. And when they all listened to the breaking news, they were just as equally shocked.

"Uh, please excuse the interruption, but we've just received reports of what seems to be horde of monsters already making their way to eastern Calipolis. A general evacuation order to the area has been issued. Authorities have been contacted and, uh… Commercial, just skip to commercial already..."

The hotel lounge occupants cleared out without waiting for another word. No rest for the wicked, it seems.

* * *

Everyone quickly piled into Weaver's car as quickly and comfortably as they could. Eschewing the trunk, BJ hopped on top of its cover as Weaver fumbled for the keys. Within seconds, they were on the road, passing by sleek chalk-colored buildings. Taking a risk as she was driving, Weaver activated her wrist computer and brought up the map. She had received a notification telling her the same thing that the newscaster said and thankfully, the computer pinpointed the general area on the map. It was on the eastern side of Calipolis, outside the city limits. But she could imagine that they would be getting closer; they couldn't afford to waste time.

Beside her in the passenger seat, Bell griped. "Ugh. Talk about bad timing. Didn't even get the chance to brush my teeth or anything."

"What? Ya think they're gonna go out on a limb an' make an appointment?" said Cog as she leaned in from the back seat.

"Still, this was supposed to be our vacation," Weaver replied, turning her head slightly to face the others. "You would normally think that this nation's military would've -"

"Waitwaitwait, stop the car!"

Weaver whipped back to the road and upon seeing a pedestrian, reflexively slammed on the brakes. The tires squealed as Weaver's convertible and its occupants rocked from the sudden deceleration. As they recovered from the stop, they looked up to see who the pedestrian was.

They all looked up to find themselves eye-to-eye with a black-haired girl with pupils that were just as dark; she stood by the street wearing a bright yellow hoodie and a black scarf wrapped around her neck, oblivious to the relative weather.

Looking at her, Nitroplus did a double-take. "Hang on, are you..."

The girl's eyes widened once she laid eyes on Nitroplus, recognition apparent on her face. Bell slowly leaned forward in her seat as it dawned on her who the stranger was. "Woah, is that you, Gelb?"

Surprised, Nitroplus turned to Bell. "You know her?" she asked.

"Well, I recognize her. I know that she's like us - specializes in certain RTSs," replied Bell. "If anything, I should ask you that question. Since when did you two meet?"

"At the beach." Gelb finally spoke up but even then her voice was fairly quiet and flat. She walked towards the car and continued speaking, her voice barely above inside voice. "I was there yesterday when she and I met."

Weaver looked at Gelb then at Nitroplus with a quizzical look. "Really? Don't quite think I remember that." But she knew they couldn't afford to waste anymore time. "So listen: you know there's a bunch of monsters headed from the east?"

Gelb nodded once slightly. "That is why I'm here." Not once did her voice deviate from the usual neutral tone; her face still retained a bored disinterested expression.

"You weren't planning to take them on by yourself, were you?" Bell asked while raising a curious eyebrow. "Let alone get there on foot?"

Like before, Gelb's only response was the same small nod, albeit after a second's hesitation.

BJ gave out a hearty laugh. "Well, that makes two of us! Hop in - or in my case, hop on!"

With Weaver's convertible past capacity, Gelb looked for something to hang on to. Finding none, Gelb settled with opening the passenger seat and squeezing in on Bell's lap, much to the latter's displeasure. With Gelb seated as best she could, Weaver shifted gears and floored it.

"HAHA!" BJ laughed as she dared to stand on top the trunk cover without anything to hang onto. "Hi-ho Silver, AWAYYYYYYYYY!"

* * *

As they got closer to where Weaver's computer pinpointed the monster horde's predicted location, they could see that they were certainly getting close. As they drove, the streets became steadily congested with traffic and people - all of them headed in the opposite direction. On the other hand, the traffic headed towards the monsters was nonexistent save for a lone stylish car loaded with empowered individuals, each of them a force to reckon with.

As they streaked past the stream of people, the Devs could see that some of the people managed to catch a glimpse; some even recognized them and even cheered, rejoicing at the sight of several members of the PC Continent's protectors driving past to save the day. Seeing as how they were being applauded, BJ and Cog either waved back or responded with their own cheers.

Eventually, the stream of people became a mere trickle and as they disappeared, so did the vestiges of the urban cityscape and civilization. Eventually, the Devs found themselves within a suburban area, with plenty of open spaces and vegetation mixed with an occasional short building. Weaver spotted a police barricade - though "barricade" was generous considering it consisted only of two police cars blocking most of the street.

An officer in a simple uniform looked to address whoever it was that was headed _towards_ the danger but stopped once he saw who the new arrivals - and what they were capable of. Weaver brought the car to a stop alongside the officer, their appearance noted by all the officer's colleagues.

"What's the situation?" asked Weaver. They were getting close to the destination according to her map but not close enough to see the danger directly. From the looks of things, the monster horde may arrive just outside the city limits.

"Um, we just managed to get everyone out as fast as we could, although there's others holed up in safe locations," reported the officer, still nervous to be in the presence of a Dev, let alone several of them. "The monster horde should just be down the road. I, uh, doubt we'd be able to handle them and since you're here, I, uh, guess I can let you pass."

"Well that simplifies things," quietly muttered Bell who still had Gelb sitting on her lap. Weaver gave a quick nod of thanks to the officer and got her car moving again, weaving between the obstacles to head in the direction of the monsters. The streets were devoid of both inhabitants and beasts. But the emptiness was thick with anticipation of potential surprises. The shift from buildings to trees didn't help as they blocked line of sight.

Weaver slammed the breaks on the car. Directly ahead of them was the silhouette of a feral wolf with untamed vibrant fur - a fenrir. Behind it, in and off the streets, was the horde of identical monsters blended among the ranks of dogoos, bits, and other monsters. Everywhere they went, they vandalized anything man-made: road signs, fences, bus stops, and powerlines.

Killing the engine, Weaver stepped out and everyone followed. With Gelb finally off of her, Bell got out and stretched her legs and back, glad to be free from the car's confines. As she did so, she saw what looked to be some kind of submachine gun appear in Gelb's hands, accompanied by a mechanical click. Gelb turned to face Bell and Weaver.

"Any plans?" she asked.

Bell and Weaver looked amongst themselves as they tried to come up with a viable strategy. They both pointed to SPARK. "Okay, just like last time: SPARK, hang back. BJ, front and center." As everyone moved into formation, Bell let herself hang in the middle and noticed Gelb doing something similar, positioning herself out of melee range of the enemy.

' _Right,'_ Bell thought. ' _Knowing her and her gun, that'll be the best place for her.'_

The team made their way towards the group of monsters who began to notice their presence one-by-one. The nearest trio of fenrirs slowly stepped towards the interlopers, growling in intimidation. In response, BJ hoisted her launcher and quickly turned the closest fenrir into a mere smoking crater in the earth. Slashes of fire from Nitroplus and gunfire from Cog that followed up unleashed all hell on a high note. Shouts, explosions, roars, and gunfire gave the orchestra of battle its melody as the battle began.

Weaver swung her sword around as it began sparking and glowing in blue before she finally stabbed it outwards, unleashing a bolt of plasma and lightning that vaporized a dogoo. Bell tossed down her sentry gun before tossing down an identical blue turret to maximize the carnage. A handful of orb-like bits hovered overhead in an attempt to strike down at the Devs before a slick shaft split into multiple parts, piercing all of the bits before promptly exploding.

Cog peppered a chocopi with bullets, shredding an abandoned pickup truck in the process. Scanning for her next target, she saw the nearby meadows explode from BJ's rockets as she soared through the air. In Cog's moment of distraction, another fenrir tried to rush her. Cog swung to react but before it could pounce her, a flurry of bullets flew past her and dropped the fenrir like a sack of potatoes.

A smoking gun in Gelb's hands was what Cog saw. Cog's bewildered gaze met Gelb's neutral stare as she pointed towards a group of monsters charging across an open field to join the fight.

"More of them. Focus your fire." Gelb's words were terse and even at their loudest, they were still just shy of shouting. Unloading bursts of fire at the monsters, Gelb slid behind an overturned garbage can and resumed firing without skipping a beat. From there, she motioned to Weaver the incoming monsters that were headed their way. Letting out one last shout to the monsters she was originally fighting, Weaver shifted her sword to the monsters pointed out by Gelb.

More monsters, including car-sized dragons, starting trickling down the road, threatening Nitroplus and BJ who were in the thick of the action. Shouting, Gelb impatiently motioned for Nitroplus to fall back who immediately complied under the shelter of covering fire courtesy of Bell's sentries and Cog.

But BJ was still engaged in melee, oblivious to the tide of monsters. Punting a dogoo skyward and into next weekend, she wrenched a wumpossum off of her before burying its head into the barrel of her rocket launcher and pulling the trigger. Something hard tackled her from the side, causing her to stumble before BJ switched to her chainsaw and sawing the attacker. But without even a second to breathe, a shadow fell upon BJ as she looked up to see the face of an imposing upright fur body with an equally furry - but grotesque - face: an alpha wumpossum.

As it snarled down at its quarry with an expression that resembled a manic predatory grin, BJ couldn't help but reciprocate. A smaller monster foolishly took a chance to pounce on BJ who merely grabbed it by its neck and threw it towards the alpha wumpossum who deflected it with casual ease. It settled down on all fours to try to crush BJ who tucked and rolled away. Swinging her chainsaw around her, her cackle accompanied the sputtering motor as she began to duel with the monster.

* * *

SPARK loaded another bolt into her crossbow. From the top of a tree, she had a decent commanding view of the battle. She could see more monsters coming from the fields and from the road and that Gelb seemed to be doing what she could to micromanage the rest where they were huddled around whatever cover they could find. Well, everyone but BJ who was far ahead fighting a big wumpossum.

' _Oh bother,'_ she thought as she saw BJ doing her thing oblivious to the calls from others to regroup. They were holding their ground against the horde of wild monsters but the situation could change at anytime.

Attacks from the others were doing a good enough job of defeating all the nearby monsters but SPARK remained vigilant for any targets of opportunity. Several meters above the ground, she spied the orb-like body of a bit as it zipped in the air.

"Uh, that's about… few dozen meters away? And it's moving so, uh… I'd say about 73 - no, 65% chance to hit," she muttered to herself as she attempted to track their movements. SPARK's crossbow was primed and aimed but no shot came. "... Ehhhh, on second thought, I don't like those odds..."

"Sparky! You musn't be afraid to take chances if the opportunity presents itself!"

"EEEEK!" SPARK squealed and almost fell out of her vantage point as she whirled around to find herself face-to-face with something that apparently followed up the tree. "D-d-don't abduct me please! I-I'm not that developed!"

"Relax, meat! It's me!" When SPARK stopped flailing her arms about, she realized that it was just Raw Meat. Realizing that it was (literally) a friendly face, SPARK took a deep breath.

"D-don't do that again!" she complained. A loud commotion was heard and SPARK looked back to see BJ get flung into the air by the alpha wumpossum, making a rough landing on top of Bell's blue-colored sentry, smashing it into pieces. Laughing, BJ heaved herself back on her feet and charged back into the fray, leaving behind a miffed Bell and her other functional red sentry. While herself, Bell, Cog, and Gelb remained behind cover with their ranged attacks, SPARK could see BJ, Nitroplus, and Weaver at the forefront with their respective melee weapons. A sudden movement caught SPARK's eyes as she loaded a regular crossbow bolt and aimed at a charging fenrir.

"About 98% - ah, screw it," she muttered as her shot struck home, felling the fenrir. It slid in the dirt, barely noticed by the combatants on the ground as they fought. As SPARK scouted for another target, Raw Meat cried out a warning. "Look, meat! More on the horizon!"

As SPARK gazed out into the distance, she spotted something coming from the meadows. Or rather, a lot of small somethings, all scurrying towards them as a carpet of white, grey, and black. They were small, but there were many and they were fast approaching.

' _... Oh jeez,'_ thought SPARK as she loaded another bolt in anticipation of a long battle.

* * *

"HAH! Come over here so I can show you a neat magic trick where I make you disappear!" shouted BJ as she tuck and rolled under the alpha wumpossum's lashing claws. Around them lay incapacitated monsters and ruined soil. In an epic duel between two mighty contestants, none dared to interfere lest they be a casualty to this dance of death.

The alpha wumpossum lashed at BJ with its other arm which BJ caught, sliding back from the force before grinding herself to a halt and holding the beast's claws at bay with one hand. In the other was a chainsaw which BJ used to hack and slash the wumpossum as much as she could. The wumpossum roared in pain as it lifted BJ with its arm before repeatedly smashing her on the ground.

"Ha!" _*Smash*_ "That - " _*Smash!*_ "- the best - " _*Smash!*_ "- you got?!" Despite repeated pounding, BJ laughed off each blow.

A fiery slash hit the wumpossum in the face who reeled from the unexpected attack. It glared at the dark-haired girl who it deemed responsible and threw BJ at her. Seeing BJ headed her way, Nitroplus rolled out of the way. She looked up to see the alpha wumpossum hurtling towards her at high speed before its momentum was interrupted by a small flail-like object. The wumpossum fell to the earth far off of his mark and Nitroplus turned to see Weaver's sword shrink back to its original shape.

"We got more trouble coming ahead!" she shouted. "Going to need you and BJ to regroup with us; got clickers headed our way!"

Nitroplus turned to face the stretching road to see that amidst the various beasts they fought, there was a subtle tide of white and grey headed their way. Up to this point, it had been a relatively even battle between the Devs and the horde. But with another horde headed their way, the chances of winning were becoming slim. If they were forced to retreat...

A bolt of bright red flew just over Nitroplus's head, interrupting her thoughts as she immediately ducked low to avoid more ruby-colored beams that followed. From the edge of her vision, she noticed the white and grey ones surging forth while the black ones stayed back, one of them launching a familiar red beam in her general direction. She scrambled back behind an abandoned station wagon where Bell, Cog, Weaver, and Gelb were. Another set of lasers singed the wagon's exterior while some burned a nearby tree, forcing SPARK and Raw Meat to evacuate from their vantage point.

"Take cover!" ordered Gelb, her voice just below a shout.

Seeing that the horde of fresh monsters has arrived and are forcing their opponents back, the surviving beasts of the original horde began to rally and reinvigorated their assault.

"BJ! Come on!" Nitroplus turned to see Weaver peering from behind her cover and saw that BJ was still out there, seemingly oblivious to the dangers that the clicker horde presented. The alpha wumpossum was now at her mercy as BJ repaid its earlier action by repeatedly smashing its head against the ground. A white clicker tackled her but BJ brushed it aside in an annoyed snarl and continued with her action.

Bell sighed in exasperation as she ducked back into cover. So far, her second turret was still up on top of the station wagon and it had been engaging the monsters nonstop ever since she plopped it down but one turret could only go so far. Risking the beams, Bell whacked the sentry's mount in the place only she knew. At that instant, the remaining turret retracted its gun and the body expanded outwards where two barrels and a rack of missiles sprouted forth to hold back the monster onslaught.

"Abou' time you got that up an' working!" Bell turned to see Cog looking bemused at the upgraded turret. She had ditched her one machine gun for a pair of oversized machine pistols. "I was startin' to think you forgot about that or somethin'!"

"Cog, if I was in vacation like we were supposed to, I wouldn't have to remember this kind of stuff to begin with!" Bell retorted. "I shouldn't have to tell you that this isn't what I had in mind when we were going to relax!"

Cog popped up to spray the closest clickers with her akimbo pistols before ducking back down. "Oh lighten up, Belly! Just think of this sorta stuff as exercise; gettin' your blood pumping and crap!"

A laser beam punched a neat hole right between Bell and Cog, leaving behind a steaming rift in the metal inches from either one's nose. "... Yeah, my blood's pumping so much I think I'm going to have a heart problems. Next time we go on vacation, let's stick with playing videogames!"

As the clicker swarm approached, everyone did what they could to hold them back but the ranged attacks from the black-colored clickers limited the Devs' ability to retaliate comfortably. With almost all of them cooped up behind an increasingly perforated vehicle, their most vicious but effective fighter isolated, and the monster swarm resuming its momentum, there was no way they could continue fighting like this.

And if they couldn't fight effectively here, then that would mean a hasty retreat that would only bring the beasts closer to the city and people they were supposed to protect.

And to Nitroplus, such course of action was unacceptable. Paragon or not, she was not going to endanger innocent lives and cause collateral damage. But there was no way they could hold the monsters back and within seconds, the monsters would all be upon them unless -

Above the din of gunfire, shouts, and explosions, Nitroplus heard what sounded like distant cracking - a different set of gunfire? Then, she saw a couple beasts encroaching BJ's blindspot fall. Weaver witnessed the same thing and she turned to everyone else. "Was that from any of you?"

Cog, Gelb, and Bell all looked at each other bewildered. Then the distant gunfire resumed as more monsters were shot down, their charge halted in face of a new threat from an unexpected angle. The Devs looked around to find the source. Did the Calipolis military already arrive? But surely there would be much more than simple gunfire…

A flash of bright white light suddenly blinded everyone. Reeling from the sudden blindness, Bell fell to the ground so as to avoid any crossfire. She didn't appreciate her inability to see and hear due to her ears ringing -

… Ringing? Caused by sudden bright light?

As the thought crossed her mind, Bell noticed that her vision slowly recovered. She looked around and saw the rest recovering as well whereas the monsters were still flaying about aimlessly.

"Dag-nabbit! What was that?!" shouted Cog after rubbing the blindness from her eyes and getting up.

SPARK was still sitting on the ground, still dazed from the stun effects. "I, um… well, uh whatever it was, it wasn't natural."

Nitroplus was curious about what the bright flash was, but even if they identified what the cause was, another question came up: where did it originate from? As her vision and hearing cleared, movement from the side caught her eyes. Blinking, Nitroplus saw that it was some person, dressed in some kind of uniform she couldn't identify. The figure raised her weapon and a burst of gunfire erupted from it.

The figure's blue-green eyes glanced over to where they took cover behind. "Look alive, grunts! We still got a battle to win!"

All eyes were cast on the unknown figure. "... Uh, who's she?"

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Clicker *****  
Resembling an old computer mouse, the Clicker is only about as tall as a person's shin. They all have a slender tail which they can use as a whip if the situation calls for it. In terms of appearance, clickers are mostly a mix of grey and white, though variations exist with different colors, shape, and abilities. Individually, a clicker is weak; thus they are social creatures who are frequently encountered in groups and use overwhelming numbers to their advantage.

Clickers are confirmed to exist in three versions. The normal Clicker has no special ability and is the most frequently encountered variant; predominantly white and grey. Optical Clickers are the second-most encountered version and have the ability to launch a laser beam; colored black. Stream Clickers are the most powerful but more rare of the clickers, with a more sleek exterior and superior performance; colored grey.  
***** End of Entry *****


	11. Chapter 10: Battlefront Base

**Chapter 10: Battlefront Base**

"Uh, yeah. I've said it once an' I'll say it again: who's she?"

"Not now, Cog!" shouted Weaver, "Just keep shooting! We might have a chance now!"

Grumbling, Cog poked out from behind the cover to unload her twin pistols at the monsters. The stranger's intervention had caused the horde to falter and as a result, they could attack with less fear of getting struck by laser blasts.

More monsters were gunned down in quick succession before Cog heard nothing but clicking sounds from her guns. Casually tossing them away, she pulled out bundles of explosives, throwing them wildly at the mass of whatever monster survived like a maniac throwing to a crowd free T-shirts that she had too many of and not enough time to give away in an orderly fashion.

A series of rapid-firing explosions rocked the road and meadows and as the dust and ash hung in the air, the Devs rose out from cover to push the monsters back. Like last time, Cog went to work indiscriminately spraying the monsters with bullets, Nitroplus and Weaver went to work at the forefront hacking away any monster they came across, and Bell and SPARK hung at the rear providing supporting fire. Meanwhile their new ally pitched in with support fire of her own, firing bursts from what now appeared to be some sort of assault rifle with an under barrel launcher.

"Yeah! How do you like 'em apples?!" Cog's taunts accompanied the fierce atmosphere of reinvigorated battle. With their chances now looking up, she couldn't help but let her emotions run high. "We're gonna pop all the caps in your ass and teabag you!"

"Shoot with your gun, not with your mouth," quipped Bell. Her remaining upgraded turret was still functional and already engaged, which was good news. With them no longer suppressed behind cover, the Devs could fight to their fullest and it showed, as the monster's numbers dwindled rapidly.

Weaver took point, slashing at every nearby monster. Ahead was a thicket of monsters all grouped close but it was too dense for Weaver to cut her way through. Nitroplus wordlessly joined her and cut down a bit that had snuck behind Weaver. Another monster that survived the onslaught of gunfire was also sneaking behind Weaver; Nitroplus put a stop to it with a quick burst from her pistol before finishing it off with quick slashes. It seemed that Weaver was neglecting her flanks, instead trying to force her way into the concentrated monster horde. Whatever it was that that was there, Weaver seemed committed to getting there.

A blow from a particularly large monster was blocked by Weaver which only sent her sliding a short distance back. Sighing in frustration, Weaver took a breath and performed her signature shout. Everything not nailed down was flung back like usual and some monsters in the dense pack stumbled back, but the tightly packed nature meant that monsters were holding each other in place. The pack held together despite the force that could send dragons hurtling like ragdolls.

Cog couldn't help but chuckle at the peculiar sight of monsters simply pushed back rather than be blown away by hurricane-force winds. And she would've continued had an abrupt tap on her shoulder not brought her attention. She turned to find herself looking up at the unknown soldier who was now in front of her. Up close, Cog could definitely see that whoever she was, she was all business front and back: thick durable-looking fatigue sporting a dull blue-and-grey camouflage pattern, black combat boots, and despite well-groomed brownish blonde hair beneath her garrison cap, the soldier's rather sharp green-blue eyes showed that she wasn't someone to fool around.

"You! Get your explosives prepped ASAP!" Cog, taking a second to figure out what was going on, looked at the tightly-packed monster horde, then back to the soldier as she immediately readied the underslung launcher strapped to her assault rifle.

Then Cog put two and two together and grinned. Tightly-packed group of enemies plus explosives equalled satisfactory carnage. And Cog had a self-proclaimed PhD on that particular subject.

Cog pulled out a particular explosive and primed it. "Now!" At the soldier's order, she pulled the trigger and at the same time Cog threw the bomb. The controlled explosion from the launched grenade paled in comparison to Cog's, as the whole nexus of monsters plus the immediate ground surrounding it vaporized in a flash of light, accompanied by earth-shaking thunder and shockwaves that knocked everyone off their feet. And in that instant, the world got a little more empty.

* * *

For the first time in about thirty minutes, the battle was quiet for once. Weaver pushed the motionless form of a horsebird off of her before it disappeared into light. She got up, her joints aching and her vision shrouded by the dust cloud. What she could see had a conspicuous brown tint thanks to the dust and at ground zero was a small mushroom cloud.

Also at ground zero lay BJ.

Weaver staggered to her as fast as she could. "BJ?... BJ!"

She got up close to where BJ was, presumably buried under the horde of monsters in the middle of the melee, and to her surprise, found her quietly laughing, as though BJ was completely oblivious to what had transpired mere moments ago.

Despite covered in soot and some of her clothes being singed, BJ simply laid on her back, even putting her hands behind her head without a care in the world. "That… that was freakin' amazing," she said once she found a moment to stop laughing.

Weaver could only give her a look of disbelief before prodding BJ's sides with her foot. "Idiot! Why weren't you listening when we tried to call you! We could've done for if they swarmed us!"

BJ continued laughing, except a bit harder as she sat up and lightly punched Weaver in her leg. "Pfft! You worry too much! Did you really think a bunch of monsters who were already dead could take me out? And besides," she paused as she gestured all around the devastated landscape. "You all didn't get freaking swarmed anyways, right?"

BJ hopped on her feet, to dust herself off and tending to her ahoge. "Was that bomb Cog's doing? I gotta ask her if I can have something like that; could make a kickass alarm clock."

"Well, I certainly think you're going to have to cut your beauty sleeps short." Weaver turned to see that the stranger who came to their aid had gotten back on her feet and was making her way to them. Like BJ, the stranger was covered in dust, the dirt masking the blue-grey fatigue she wore. Whatever sign of professional air the stranger had was muddied by the explosive carnage. She looked at BJ then at Weaver with her sharp eyes.

"Where was she this whole time?"

"Got too caught up in the thick of action to pull back when we needed to," sighed Weaver. The stranger glanced back at BJ with a look that was somewhere between concern and disappointment. "Why did that happen?" she asked.

"I dunno. When there's a bunch of asses to kick six ways to Sunday, a lot of stuff happens," answered BJ unapologetically, "Besides, I'm not the only one capable of dishing out ass-whoopin'. I'm sure the rest could've hold their own."

"Uh, no," interjected Weaver, "In case you hadn't noticed, we almost got swarmed."

"Oh c'mon! There's only one of me and a handful of you. It couldn't have been that bad!"

Before either one could speak, the stranger sighed in exasperation and took off her cap. As she did, Weaver saw that underneath that hat, the stranger was quite remarkable for anyone of her career; her brownish-blonde hair groomed and kept tied by a short ponytail As she dusted it off, the stranger ran her fingers through her blonde hair once before putting her cap back on, adjusting it with a disciplined, professional air. She faced BJ again with the kind of tense silence that only meant that "the talk" was about to follow.

"BJ, was it? If what she said is of any indication, you more or less decided to go off on your own. Not only did that endanger yourself," the stranger gestured at all the dirt and scratches that covered BJ. "But I think you also endangered your buddies." She gestured to Weaver and everyone else as they steadily got back up on their feet.

The stranger pointed her finger at BJ. "You might be strong, but that's no excuse to go AWOL on your team. You're part of a unit, aren't you?"

BJ brushed the stranger's hand aside. "Suck my unit," she growled.

The stranger shook her head and sighed. She turned away from BJ and as she did, something caught her eye as she strolled past Weaver. As Weaver turned to follow, she noticed that Cog was up and about on her feet, having untangled herself from Bell who remained on the ground. The stranger walked up to Cog who took in the aftermath of battle with incredulity.

"What kind of bomb was that?" the stranger asked.

Cog looked up at stranger who was at least a head taller than her. "Uh, a bomb? I mean, it's technically a bomb no matter how ya look at it," she replied sheepishly.

"Felt more like a MOAB. Well, whatever it was, you might want to tone it down next time. That was way too danger close." A small groan came right at Cog's feet and the stranger bent down to help Bell up.

"Ugh. Cog… have I ever told you... that I hate it when you blow me up? This must be what… the eighth time in my life?" wheezed Bell.

Cog sputtered a small laugh as though she was told a joke. "Nope! News to me!"

As Bell went to work dusting herself off, the dust of battle had settled and it was clear that the was no longer any monster in the area. More importantly, more of their companions were recovered and on their feet. Nitroplus was busy brushing off whatever soot covered Raw Meat, SPARK was preoccupied with tending to her antenna headband, and Gelb merely sneezed. Everyone was safe and accounted for; weary, but alive.

Bell took her glasses off and went to work cleaning the lenses as best she could. With the stranger still in front of her, Bell asked, "So, uh, thanks. Who're you?"

The stranger, in typical soldier fashion, gave her answer. "Name's Frost. I'm a Dev just like the rest of you." She even capped off her introduction with a quick simple salute.

"Frost? Well that might explain why I barely recognized you," replied Bell, "And don't tell me you just happened to be passing through. Not that I'm complaining."

Frost cleared her throat. "In a manner of speaking, yes I was. Besides, news of an incoming monster horde isn't easy to suppress."

Bell coughed as she slapped dust off of her pants. "Yeah, I figured."

Nitroplus approached Frost, having finished tending to Raw Meat. "I thank you for helping us," she said as she gave a quick bow, eliciting a curious look from Frost. "My name is Nitroplus. Nice to meet you."

Frost's eyes looked up and down, as if studying her and figuring what who she is or where she came from. "Nice to meet you too." Frost turned back to Bell. "So what brings a bunch of Devs here? I doubt you're all here for a vacation; I can't remember the last time we all came together like this."

' _Actually, we were on vacation a while ago.'_ Bell adjust her glasses by the arms. "Long story short, Nitroplus here asked us to help her put an end to video game piracy that's been going on in the PC Continent. We've been traveling around and fighting the rats for a few days."

"Video game piracy carried out by rats?" asked Frost, "Huh. I suppose that makes two of us."

"You knew about the rats?" asked Nitroplus.

"Affirmative. In fact, that's why I was around the AO. Piracy activities, while small, are noticeable. I was given orders to find them and put a stop to them."

"Um," a quiet voice spoke. Everyone turned to see a disheveled Gelb simply standing in the open with one hand barely raised like a student who wanted to say something but at the same time didn't want to. Once everyone remembered Gelb's presence, she continued. "What about rats?"

"Oh, right. Basically, a bunch of guys who're going around pirating video games and distributing copies at prices cheaper than dirt," said Bell. Everyone but Frost and Gelb simply nodded as they were already well aware of the story. "Nitroplus and Raw Meat here have been after them and I guess most of us have nothing better to do than help her out. What about you?"

Gelb showed no reaction and stayed silent for about a couple seconds before she replied "... Sure."

"Wow, uh… that was easy," remarked SPARK.

"Hey, you alright?" Gelb looked up to see that Frost was talking directly to her. "That looks like a cut on your forehead."

Everyone glanced at Gelb and indeed, seeping underneath her black bangs was a small trickle of crimson. Surprised, everyone looked around for some way of treating the injury but before anyone could make the first move, Frost simply dug into one of her pouches and tossed Gelb a small packet of white gauze.

"Just apply it over the wound and just hold it there. It'll be healed before you know it," instructed Frost. She looked around at all the Devs who were present before facing Nitroplus again. "Anyways, since you're after the same thing, I think it'll make our jobs easier if we cooperate. So where should we start?"

Cog butted in. "Uh, yeah, you might be a little late on that. Like, we just wasted a bunch o' rats all the way over at Pedissia and plenty way back at Conderica." We're just kickin' back and chillin'."

Frost looked awkwardly down at Cog, clearly trying to think of something to say. "Well," she began, "I apprehended a few rats myself but we might have to compare notes later. I figure you might have some interesting war stories to share."

"Yeah, we do. You'll probably read about them once I publish my next book," said Weaver. She looked down at herself to see how the dust and dirt covered her jacket, tarnishing the silver decorations. "We could head back and really wash ourselves. Though, even without you space in my car was tight enough as it is..."

"It's alright, I got here in my own vehicle. It's parked nearby and should have plenty of seats." Frost gestured away from the battleground and towards the closest town.

"Well, that's certainly a comforting bit of news," Weaver quipped in high spirits. "So, uh, other than BJ who'll be coming with me so I can keep an eye on her, I guess we're all free to pick which ride you want."

* * *

Nitroplus stared out through the window in Weaver's convertible. Bell, BJ, and Cog all sat around the car, sleeping. From the corner of the rear-view mirror, Nitroplus saw Frost's car lumbering behind them. Although calling it a "car" would be a misnomer to describe it: it was bulky, a large durable box on large wheels that gave it a very rugged and feeling of endurance - essentially the complete opposite of Weaver's automobile. Apparently the behemoth of a "car" had served as Frost's personal transport as she was apparently a Dev who was also a career soldier of sorts who traveled the continent. Oddly fitting that someone as disciplined and utilitarian as her would have a vehicle to match.

That was Frost's story, and now Nitroplus wondered what the story was behind their earlier newly-acquired ally: Gelb. From what she remembered, Bell mentioned how Gelb was another Dev, but beyond that her reticence made it difficult for Nitroplus to figure out who Gelb was as a person. She could ask Gelb herself, but it may be unlikely that she would divulge anything; asking Bell would work if she wasn't busy snoozing.

Asking personal information of someone else felt wrong, but she couldn't help but wonder. Aside from her and Raw Meat, Weaver was the only Dev awake. If there was the opportune moment to satiate her curiosity, now was the time.

"Weaver, may I ask a question?" Weaver yawned as she turned a street as they drove back to their hotel. With such a battle in the middle of what was supposed to be their vacation, no one seemed to be in any mood for anything other than a good bath, a meal, and sleep.

Weaver's response came out sleepily. "Um, sure. Go ahead; might help keep me awake for a little bit longer."

Nitroplus paused to think about her approach to her question. She continued, "I know some things about everyone so far, enough to get a rough idea of who they are as a person. But I'm wondering who Gelb is; other than a Dev I don't know much about what she's done or why she's so..."

"Monotone? Apathetic? Or, whatever word you can think of that describes why she's like that? Good question," Weaver chuckled slightly. "It's rather a long and… not so happy story to say the least."

"How so?"

"Well, you know how we're all Devs and that we made our names by making certain games and such?" Nitroplus silently nodded and Weaver continued. "Well you see, unless she can publish them herself, a Dev's gonna need someone with the financial backing to help her out.

"Ol' Gelb was no different; she had a particular person - not a Dev - help her out. Together, they made plenty of successful titles which really gave Gelb all the Acclaim she could want. The two were close partners.

"... That is, until her partner underwent a string of misfortune and, uh… died." The occupants inside the car fell silent for a moment.

"... Sorry, I don't think there was any other way to say what happened," apologized Weaver, "Since then, Gelb found other people to help her sell her games but she hasn't been the same since. She wasn't always like that, I'll tell you that much. I think she used to be quite confident and loud and such."

Solemn silence fell upon the car, the only semblance of sound came from the streets outside. A second passed, then another. The awkward silence started to gnaw at Weaver.

"So, uh… yeah."

"I'm… sorry. Sorry that I asked," said Nitroplus, who partly regretted having divulged such personal information. "I… didn't know..."

"Nah," Weaver quietly reassured. "It's okay. Just, uh, try to keep that stuff to yourself, alright? That whole thing happened not so long ago so I think she still needs to get over it."

Nitroplus was puzzled. "But shouldn't we -"

"Help her?" interjected Weaver. "Uh, I'm neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist, but I'd just give her her own space and time, ya know? Besides, she doesn't seem to want us to help her so -"

All of a sudden, the sound of what seemed like a fist-full of firecrackers being set off was heard. It came from somewhere down the street they were in. The loud cracking sound jolted everyone alert, as everyone who slept during the ride awoke with a start.

"What in carnation was that…?" Cog demanded. Weaver slammed the brakes and everyone waited for another sign. But none came; the air became quiet like before. Though it came from further down the road, the corner prevented them from witnessing what exactly happened that caused that sound.

"Meat! There could be trouble!" peeped Raw Meat. "We should investigate!"

"Story of my life..." Weaver inched the car slowly down the road and Frost's vehicle from behind did the same, no doubt she and her occupants have heard the same sound. As they slowly turned the corner, everyone waited for some sign of danger, whether it be a wild monster or some amateur arsonist.

Instead, they were met with the sight of an empty suburban street. Empty in the sense that whatever was on the receiving end of that small explosion was no longer around. Next to the road was a small quaint supermarket and by the front entrance was a small smoking crater. Everyone slowly got out to inspect the damage.

"I think someone lost an argument," commented Cog. BJ snickered in agreement.

Other than the sound from before and the crater that was before them now, there was practically little evidence of what exactly occurred or who caused it. No one, other than themselves, was present near the scene.

Well, not exactly. Further ahead down the road, Weaver could see someone casually walking - no, casually _rolling_ away from the scene. It was someone - a woman from the looks of it - leisurely scooting away on a bulk-looking motorized wheelchair, apparently oblivious to whatever that may have happened mere moments ago.

"Uh, excuse me?" Weaver called out to the person, bringing everyone's attention to that person. But her call elicited no response. Weaver took a step forward; she didn't have a good feeling about the situation. For all they know, the wheelchair-bound person might have been responsible. But either way, her presence and obliviousness had to mean something.

But before anyone else made a move, Cog hollered out to the stranger. "Heyo, granny! We just got some questions to ask -"

She was unable to finish her request as a loud mechanical sound boomed out and Cog suddenly found herself lifted forward off her feet. Everyone was knocked back away from a massive thing that suddenly sprouted itself from the ground and expanded outward.

Cog groaned and rubbed the back of her head. The object shifted in shape and size until it resembled a small armored garage. Before she nor anyone could react, the garage shutters opened up and a burly-looking tank the size of van and armed with twin cannons rolled out right in front of Cog.

"Monkey on a stick!" Cog yelled as the downscale tank inched forward towards her. She scooched back in a mad futile attempt to outpace the advancing tank while everyone scrambled back on their feet. The tank rumbled and creaked as its hulk threatened to crush Cog underneath its treads. Another second and...

… The tank ground to a halt as Cog lay under its shadow. Although it stopped, Cog wasted no time marveling at her luck by scrambling away from it, only to hit her head against something. Grunting, Cog cradled her head in her heads and looked up to see herself looking at a pair of dull green eyes - actually, one eye as there was a black eyepatch covering the person's left eye. A lit stogie was seen between her lips.

The person grinded the cigar between her teeth and pulled it away, cooly blowing smoke that blended with her gray hair. "... That's _grandma_ Grün to you, junior," she grunted with a scowl.

The scent of tobacco and smoke irritated Cog, who merely glared at her. A scurry of footsteps was heard and Cog found herself suddenly lurched up on her feet by Bell.

"Cog? Cog! You alright?" Bell asked, frantically helping her up and checking for injuries.

"I'm fine an' dandy Belly," Cog replied, trying to brush her off. "Though, granny here wanted me to be otherwise."

"Pah! Not only do you look like a kid, you squeak like one!" retorted Grün who waved her cigar disapprovingly. The tank that she used to threaten Cog had reversed back into the garage it came from and similar to how it constructed itself out of nowhere, it packed itself up smaller and smaller until it vanished. Other than the cracks on the pavement and the crater, it looked as though nothing happened.

Weaver stepped past Bell who dragged Cog away and approached Grün. She pointed at the crater. "I'm going to guess you had something to do with that, right?"

The embers lit up as Grün took a whiff. "Yeah. What about it? If a bunch of damn brats are gonna jump me, I'm sure as hell not gonna sit there and take it. Especially when I'm trying to shop for some freaking groceries..."

She took the cigar out to puff out the smoke while dismissively dumping the ashes on the ground (an act that was met with looks of annoyance from some of the Devs). Weaver could see that, though Grün looked to be about their age, her appearance certainly hinted a hectic life. "So what're you peeps doing out here, huh?" She gestured to everyone behind Weaver. "Isn't it past bedtime for most -"

Her words trailed off as Weaver saw Grün's expression turn into a mix of shock and anger. Curious, Weaver followed her gaze and found herself looking at one person: Frost.

The rest of Weaver's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Grün shoved her aside. "And why the hell is that bitch around?!" she demanded. She turned to Weaver with a glare. "I said why's she here!"

Weaver and many others looked confused. "Hey, look, we just ran into her near the city outskirts earlier today. I don't know what beef you have with her but, um, we have no idea."

Grün huffed another round from her cigar before angrily flicking it to Weaver. "I don't know what the hell you kiddos are gonna do, just leave me out of it. And don't you freakin' follow me, you goose-stepping bastard!" She punctuate the last remark by pointing at Frost. Grün turned around and immediately began rolling away.

Nitroplus looked at Frost, who despite the hostility, remained collected; even more, she looked almost as confused as everyone else. "Frost, do you know her?" she asked.

"Know her? That was Grün who was a veteran Dev who was quite legendary in the RTS genre," Frost replied. "She used to be one of the most famous - and some may say she still is - but time and circumstances haven't been kind to her."

"But how are you involved?" Nitroplus asked.

Before Frost could answer, Bell interrupted. "Frost is hired by the same person who used to hire Grün before screwing her over. It's kind of a sob story but it left Grün spiteful towards anything or anyone related to her former employer. Guilt by association, and all that stuff."

Nitroplus was baffled that anyone could think like that. She looked to the ever-shrinking figure of Grün rolling away without an ounce of respect. She couldn't possible imagine what it was like for a Dev to reach us heights only to fall to the point of disability. Yet, she didn't look old enough to be handicapped, still young even. And still quite young to live such a bitter life.

A ringtone shook Nitroplus out of her thoughts as Bell fished her cell phone out of her pocket. "Better not be some multi-level marketer..." she groaned. She glanced at the screen and immediately stopped. Looking up, she motioned for Weaver, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat to come close.

"Who is it?"

"It's Kreass. I think she's got something important to tell us."

* * *

"Good for being punctual with the call." Kreass's voice - as well as her haughtiness - came loud and clear over the phone's speaker. "No doubt even you would realize that I have something worthy to say."

"Oh, I figured you want to express how much you miss us already," chuckled Weaver.

None of them could see it, but they could tell Kreass rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Return to my library with due haste; it turns out there's still more to the rats than what we suspected."

Upon hearing this, Nitroplus leaned closer to Bell's phone. "How much more of them are there?" she half-asked, half-demanded.

"From what PING was able to ascertain, about one more major base of operation. And more importantly, the head of their operations."

All of them fell silent from the recent development. Bell had the sneaking suspicion that this somehow wasn't over with, but that didn't mean she was actually expecting it. Either way, they still had a job to do, even if it meant cutting their vacation short to help end piracy in this continent.

Kreass continued. "This revelation is very recent and I'm still receiving the details myself. Just meet me back in my library and I'll fill you in on once you return. Do not keep me waiting."

Bell held the phone close to her and took a second to reply. "Alright, we'll head back." Then she ended the call.

* * *

As Grün continued rolling down the street, she pulled out a small metallic case from underneath her military jacket, age having faded its green color and quality. Flipping it open, she stuck another stogie in her mouth and fumbled for the lighter when she heard rapid footsteps coming from behind her.

Grimacing in annoyance, Grün decided to pick up the pace. But the footsteps were getting closer. "Excuse me. Grün?" Grün didn't recognize the voice and she didn't care. She simply kept going back to her beat-down bungalow.

Yet the unwanted presence persisted. "Ms. Grün?"

Grumbling, Grün finally turned around to face some girl who's fashion sense didn't match with the rest of the PC Continent, with her white corset underneath her jacket, weird wing-like accessories, and a skirt of all things. "Do I look like a freakin' miss to you?"

"I was trying to get your attention in a way I thought respectful," the girl replied. Grün rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Respect? Huh, that's new. Nowadays, you noobies can't have fun without having to pay through your noses for something you should have. In fact, I was up and about being the Big Dev On Campus and taking names before you even learned how to move and look at the same time. Silly me, I thought I was back in the good old days!"

Grün sighed as she grinded the cigar between her teeth. "So whaddya want?"

"My name is Nitroplus," the girl spoke in a smooth voice. "For the past few days, I have been on a quest to stop a rat organization and their piracy operations. I have gathered fellow Devs who wish to aid me and today is the day we put an end to the rats once and for all."

"Cool story bro," Grün interrupted with disinterest in her voice. "So how am I involved in all of that?"

"Video game piracy affects this continent, however small the effects are," urged Nitroplus. "I believe this is a worthy cause to fight for but we still have an unfinished task at hand. With your help, we might be able to succeed."

Grün immediately spat out the cigar, coughing and wheezing. "Pah! And work alongside that asshat? Not a chance!"

Nitroplus sighed. "I understand you may have your own opinions of others, but -"

"Oh, do you now? You don't know me and I bet you don't know a thing or two about her! Well listen up, junior: you see this?" Grün slapped her non-functional legs. "In case you haven't realized, I didn't start off like this. People like us aren't easy to break, but we can still bleed. The bastard I used to work for years ago, well, she's a complete bastard through and through. Robbed me of my work and crippled me.

"Do you ever realize how much you take your own legs for granted?" Grün accentuated the statement by pointing at Nitroplus's limbs with her cigar. "To be able to do a whole lot of things you need or want. Take those away, and all of the sudden a solid chunk of life is locked away from you. Walking, running, climbing, jumping, everything you could do under the sun?" Grün paused to take another whiff. The embers lit up only to detach where they were indifferently extinguished into nothingness.

"... Just like that, half of what makes life enjoyable is locked away from me. And no amount of credits is gonna bring that back."

Nitroplus solemnly nodded, but was still confused about something. "... So where does Frost factor into this?"

"Her? Soldier girl's a freakin' yes-man, doing whatever someone tells her to do, never questions it. Didn't care who I was or the fact I was tossed aside, she jumped at the chance to work for that motherfu -" Grün suddenly sputtered out into unexpected coughing, ejecting the cigar from her mouth. Nitroplus immediately came to her side but as immediately as it began, Grün recovered and brushed her off.

"Ugh. Long story short, she makes herself happy working for the same guy who's the reason why I'm like this. And to this day, she acts as though it doesn't matter." Grün sighed before she realized that the cigar was no longer in her mouth. She pulled another one out from under her jacket, causing Nitroplus to frown.

"I think you should take a break from those."

"You ain't my nurse, so sod off. Worry about yourself, kid, and not someone who belongs in a museum..." Grün griped in response as she went through the motions of getting another smoke. But before the lighter's flame could reach the tip, Nitroplus quickly snatched the cigar from Grün. "What the?!"

Nitroplus immediately held her free hand out in front of her. "I understand whatever pains you went through but please, you don't have to let the rest of your life waste away like this. Cripple or not, you're still a Dev - just like the others.."

"Spare me the sappy hero speech and cut to the chase."

"What I'm trying to say here is that you can still do good. And right now, with the rat's piracy operations still going on, you have the chance to do just that instead of wasting away into nothingness. So please… will you help us?"

Silence fell, with the only sounds being the rustling of leaves. Nitroplus waited for a response while Grün simply glared at her. A second passed before she snatched her cigar out of Nitroplus's hand, but rather than put it back in her mouth, she jabbed it in Nitroplus's direction.

"If you're that desperate to get a geezer like me to do your work, fine. You made your point." Then Grün leaned in closer. "But don't expect this whole Pied-Piper charade crap to change my views on that Frost sonuvabitch. So don't expect me to like this or stick around once we're done. Clear?"

Nitroplus nodded. She had just managed to convince Grün to accompany them and she didn't want to risk anything that would undo it. But before she could stand up, she was lightly tapped on her head.

"And what hellhole did you come crawling out of? With that get-up and all… You better not be screwing with me on this thing."

"Of course she isn't! Because I'm the one who does the screwing here!" Both turned to see BJ and the rest coming up from behind. "Yo, she ready to go or does she need her rocking chair?"

Grün tossed the cigar at BJ (who dodged it, causing it to smack into Gelb instead) and without skipping a beat, her wheelchair buckled as everything but the wheels lifted a couple inches up. Then the seat leaned back and forth, creating a metronome-like motion on Grün who remained in her seat. For the first time, she cracked a grin.

"Got it right here, tough guy."

As BJ laughed, Nitroplus walked over to Bell and Weaver. "I've managed to convince her to come with us for the time being. With her at our side, the rat's defeat should be guaranteed."

The two raised a curious eyebrow. "Wow, really?" asked Weaver. "Didn't expect you to manage that. Well, more the merrier. Though, I'm afraid she's gonna have to tag along in Frost's ride. I reckon that thing's big enough to be a bus. I just hope she doesn't try to blow Frost's head off while she's with us."

In contrast to Weaver's enthusiasm, Bell merely yawned and checked the time. "Well, whatever. We should definitely head back and pack our belongings. Wouldn't want Kreass to be left hanging."

As Nitroplus turned back to check on Grün, she noticed that she seemed uncomfortable and diverting her gaze. Turning the other way, she realized that it was due to Frost who was busy answering Cog's request to ride aboard her military car (Cog insisted on nicknaming it "Truckasaurus Rex" despite Frost's protests) to pay Grün any attention.

"Meat! I certainly hope those two can stand each other..." quipped Raw Meat.

"I hope so too," replied Nitroplus. "We've come too far for us to fall apart..."

And as she looked beyond, she saw the late afternoon sun starting to settle behind the tall white smooth spires of Calipolis, as if to signal their departure from the past. Their mission was certain: to finish off the rats and bring the end to their evil. After that… she wasn't sure what came next.

A comfortable, well-defined past in exchange for an uncertain future.


	12. Chapter 11: The Azure Lane

**Chapter 11: The Azure Lane**

"... And pray tell me why you brought these three along?" demanded Kreass as everyone gathered at her living space at the basement of _Lingua Cipher_. Everyone made themselves comfortable on the couch they could find with the exception of Frost, who chose to simply stand in relaxed attention, BJ, who was busy cramming Weaver in her own space so that she could have plenty of room, and Grün, who made sure she was far from Frost on her wheelchair. Kreass leaned against a coffee table with a teacup in hand.

In response to the question, Cog simply rolled her eyes. Weaver interjected with her response. "We happened to run into them. Gelb, we just ran into her. Frost here even happened to have to be after the same thing. Grün, uh, was convinced."

Kreass narrowed her eyes. "'Convinced'? While I will not ask how you managed that or why you would convert a bystander to your cause so readily, how are you certain she is in any capacity aid us?"

Before anyone could answer, Grün spoke up. "Look twinkle toes, I originally wanted nothing to do with this, so if you want details, ask the kid (no, not the flat gun nut). And besides, I can still kick ass."

"Yeah!" interrupted Cog. "We're gonna kick ass an' chew bubblegum. But we all outta gum so you know what tha' means!"

Grün wordlessly dug out a stick of gum from her jacket pocket and tossed it at Cog's forehead with an audible smack. "... You're welcome."

BJ bursted out laughing. "Oh that's great. Hey, give me one. You know the rules: you give someone a stick of gum so you might as well give one to everyone."

Kreass could only burrow her face in the palm of her hand, her scant patience already running into the negatives. "Ugh. I will certainly be through with this pitiful excuse of a coalition once we're through..."

"So what is it that you have to share?" asked Frost. "I hear you have additional intel on the rats?"

"Yeah, that," added Bell.

With the conversation thankfully steered back on topic, Kreass set her tea cup down and reached for a manila folder, emblazoned with a small image of what appeared to be the upside-down icon of Internet connection except at the top was something that resembled an eye - the symbol of Pedissia's Intelligence Group and their far-reaching capabilities.

"Woah, is that…?" began SPARK who perked up upon seeing the emblem.

"It is. One of my contacts within PING was gracious enough to look into the matter and provided me with this folder just recently. Granted, this is not everything - confidentiality and all - but enough for us." Now that the folder got everyone's attention, Kreass continued. "From what PING was able to ascertain, the rats are certainly larger and more organized than assumed. They have - or _had_ \- bases in and near Conderica and Pedissia.

"The organization has far more members, but with the elimination of their main bases, they've scattered and will effectively be no longer a threat. However, there still lies one more base - their headquarters."

Kreass paused to leaf out a series of documents tied together by a clip. Holding it out, she continued. "From what I've been informed and can surmise from these documents, this rat organization has one last base of operations which serves as their headquarters, believed to be located within the Azure Crypt within the nation of Azulerdam. This information corroborates with what we got out of this Linda person."

Bell quickly raised her hand. "Hang on, they've been hiding out in the Azure Crypt this whole time? I thought that place was guarded. The last thing the Azulerdam administration wanted was people waltzing in and scavenging robot parts."

"Um, well, maybe not..." said SPARK. "Even with the best available, there still has to be some holes for some people to take advantage of… Um, I hope that didn't came out wrong..."

"And this… Linda," began Nitroplus, whose thoughts darkened at the mere mention of her name. "What became of her?"

"Like all the rat henchmen, she illegally crossed the border and likewise, has been dealt the appropriate punishments and is currently locked away. But while she is relatively high up in the hierarchy tree despite what the rats will tell you, she's not the actual head of the organization. There's someone else."

Everyone assembled replied with variations of "Oh?" and "Huh?" upon hearing the fact.

Kreass reached into the folder and pulled out a small square piece. Moving it around, light shone off of it and everyone recognized it as a photograph. Kreass held the photo up for everyone to see what it depicted: an old brown-tinted image of what looked to be a man in a business suit but with the head of a rat. Quite the deformed mismatch.

"PING had determined that _this_ fellow is the true head of the organization. Goes by the name of Horyuchu. Linda was merely the queen to his king."

As everyone leaned in for a closer look, Nitroplus slowly got off of the couch and reached for the photograph, her eyes affixed to it. The person in the image was unlike any she's ever seen. All the more reason to not forget it, especially if he is indeed the leader of the rats. Cut off the head, and the body will die.

Either way, the day that the rat organization is wiped out draws near. The day they restore some semblance of peace on the PC Continent through fire and sword (as well as liberal amounts of explosives).

Nitroplus put the photograph away in her pocket. "Let's get moving. The sooner, the better."

"Indeed. The sooner we get this farce over with, the less time I get to spend with you sycophants," said Kreass as she walked across her living room to dispose of her teacup. "Traveling to Azulerdam will require that we take a ferry. I will again accompany you but I have absolutely no intention of helping to pay for everyone's fare."

"Ha! And for the record, I have no intention of hitchin' a ride with pee-wee over there!" Grün said while looking at Frost.

"And I ain't got fancy-schmancy intention of not shootin' up some stuff!" added Cog.

"Cog..."

"Um… do you mind if I, uh, can read these texts? They, um, I think they might be interesting..."

"Grün, I know how you feel but you know my car can't seat you. That's why you had to ride with Frost and why you're going to have to keep riding her with."

"Screw you. I'm a senior citizen. I'll hitch whatever ride I want."

And as Grün attempted to have another smoke, Kreass returned to snatch a cigar from Grün, upsetting her enough to toss one of the dusty books at Kreass, only for her to miss and smack SPARK in the head as she peeked inside a tome. Then, as Grün squabbled with Kreass to get her cigar back, BJ began to creep into Kreass's pantry despite Weaver's attempt at pulling her back. Even Frost jumping to help didn't stop BJ from fishing out an apple and devouring in a second. Meanwhile, Kreass tripped backward over Gelb who seemed to not even notice, content to let the pandemonium play out with a blank apathetic expression as Cog decided to dig into the pack of gum she was given, accidentally popping a bubble all over Raw Meat, much to Nitroplus's dismay.

And in the midst of all this, Bell could only sigh and stare into empty space, exasperated by the increasingly chaotic atmosphere. "... Just when's that ferry going to arrive…?" she grumbled to herself.

* * *

Just like on every postcard or picture about the nation of Azulerdam, the city horizon was carpeted by nothing but glass and metallic skyscrapers that almost seemed to poke the clouds, perhaps even the heavens themselves. In the evening sky, the man-made structures stood out with their bright lights in defiance of the natural darkness. Even from the docks, one could see numerous monorail lines and chutes snaking in and around the tall buildings like neon wires. The moment that the automated ferry arrived, mechanical clamps secured the ship, bringing it close to land. Immediately after, the ramps hinged down and a cheerful female voice welcomed the occupants to the country.

With such a first impression, it was fitting for a nation known for its machinery, automation, and efficiency.

Such awe was certainly not the first thing in Bell's mind as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.

"Wakey-wakey, Bell," snickered Weaver who was behind the wheel. Even from the joking tone, there were subtle signs that she was just as tired as Bell. "Just hang in there until we get to the highway and find a big place to stay, alright?"

"If by 'hang in there' you mean, be cooped up with a crowd as well as someone I would never trust with a potato gun for minutes because of ferry schedule, _and_ be stuck in traffic for at least an hour, _and_ listen to everyone's' complaints that would make any HR department want to leave this dimension forever, _and_ deal with potential seasickness, then by all means, I'd be happy to let go and not look back."

"Enough with the defeatism, Bell," said Kreass from the back seat as she adjusted her glasses for what seemed to be the fifty-seventh time today. As they were about to head out from Kreass's library, she had insisted that she ride in Weaver's convertible, stating that she'd ride in comfort rather than deal with the rowdiness that no doubt went on in Frost's vehicle. "You have progressed this far and this mission of that foreigner is close to fruition."

In the backseat next to Kreass sat Gelb, who merely glanced out of the windows. It was difficult for anyone to tell if she ever exhibited any emotion outside of battle because she always appeared apathetic. Yet one couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on inside her head as her eyes stayed glued to Azulerdam's horizon.

The green light was given and the vehicles aboard the ferry drove out in orderly fashion. The turn came for them to roll out so Weaver started the engine and drove off, with Frost's vehicle and everyone else following behind. The variety of cars and other vehicles collectively rumbled off the ferry and navigated their way out.

Weaver glanced at the map on her device. "So the Azure Crypt is still some ways off from here. Best we can do is head over there and unless any one of us works there, we're gonna have to sneak our way in."

"Oh good, I always knew we were going to break the law to uphold justice," remarked Bell.

"Unfortunate, but we will deem it necessary," said Kreass. Weaver steered the car away from the ferry and paused alongside something that resembled a toll booth. But instead of a uniformed attendant, the booth itself had no interior and all that greeted them was a flat screen not unlike that of the Bounty Box.

The screen lit up with a yellow cartoon smiley face. "'Ello there!" a jolly man's voice greeted to them with a touch of electronic filter. "Welcome to the nation of Azulerdam! Please state the nature of your visit!"

"Personal vacation for all four of us. Just a brief stay, probably no more than a couple days," Weaver answered. Although they didn't properly prepare an alibi, her response was given as though it was the honest truth.

The screen lit with a big green check mark. "Proper! Please enjoy your stay and don't feel afraid to ask the nearest terminal for questions! Right, off you go!"

The car rolled past the checkpoint and parked along a curb. Behind, they could see the same events play out with Frost (although she had to lean out of the window due to her vehicle's height compared to the booth). Two seconds passed before the automated booth allowed Frost to pass.

Seeing this, Weaver double-checked the map. "Right, so it should be this way..."

* * *

The dense urban scene of Azulerdam made even the most metropolitan areas of Conderica to shame. The towering buildings from up close gave the impression that the city was more like a labyrinth, confining the inhabitants with their size and imposing presence. From the prevalence of pedestrians alongside traffic to the gleaming walls of shops and restaurants, from the innumerable chutes and monorails that hung above peoples' heads to the flashing lights from billboards and street advertisements, the city was bright as day and buzzing to the brim with activity.

But as Bell was concerned, there was a little too much going on for her tastes. She was also miffed by how almost everything had a blue tint in some form - dark blue curbs, advertisements that seemed to emit a blue-ish glow from the screens, blue-striped taxis, and even antique blue phone booths. Everywhere she looked, it was practically nothing but blue. Blue, blue, blue.

' _Well, I certainly feel blue,'_ she thought. For all the marvels of Azulerdam's highly efficient and expansive public transportation network, motor traffic was still heavy. They were still following the path laid out according to Weaver's wrist computer but even she entertained thoughts of finding another route.

"Geez, is it always like this or today some kind of holiday?" asked Weaver as she offhandedly strummed the steering wheel. They were stopped behind the fourth red light today and the sky was beginning to become darker with each passing second.

Sighing, Kreass leaned forward. "All of this traffic is impeding our progress. Do find us another route, preferably one without traffic."

"Alright." Weaver strummed up some buttons on her device and after a second, gave her multiple alternate paths. Choosing one, she turned to everyone else. "Alright, so we can make turn here and see if we can make better progress. Sound good?"

"Yeah, it's good. Just take us out of here," said Bell impatiently. She turned back to look past the rear windshield. "Frost and the rest should still be behind us, so they can simply follow us."

"Marvelous. Alright, here we go." The light turned green and Weaver turned her convertible to a different lane. Glancing at the mirror, she saw that Frost's car was following. Thankfully, the traffic wasn't as bad here than before and the moment of smooth sailing was a relief for them. The various storefronts, shops, cafes, and department stores passed by in quick succession and while there were some stops, they were definitely getting somewhere.

Soon, the dense urban zone began to gave way to the more open areas of the city, passing by a well-trimmed park. Up ahead lay an extravagant mansion which, just like the city it was located in, refused to sleep in the evening as every window was lit.

As Weaver drove close, a small noise could be heard behind them. Then in Weaver's peripheral vision, she noticed Frost's armored car driving in a slight zig-zag pattern before it unexpectedly pulled over. Weaver quickly parked along the sidewalk before the back door of Frost's vehicle slammed open and BJ tumbled out, dashing towards the mansion at full speed.

Bewildered, Weaver got out and went up to Frost. "What the heck just happened?"

Frost merely sighed as she stepped out of the driver's seat. "Situation was normal until she said she needed to the go the bathroom about several minutes ago. And since then, she's been steadily raising hell until everyone was getting restless and I had to pull over."

"Well thank goodness she did!" exclaimed Cog who hopped out of the rear door. Everyone else had followed suit. "The ol' box was came this close to becoming a smelly-ass madhouse, if ya know what I mean!"

As she spoke her piece, a pungent scent of smoke wafted from the passenger compartment as Grün gingerly rolled off the back door, busily smoking a stogie without a care in the world. Behind her came Nitroplus and Raw Meat, the former who had a look of annoyance as she fanned the air close to her face. "Indeed. I was dying for some fresh air."

"Um, off-topic," said SPARK, "but where exactly is she headed?"

All eyes cast on the brightly-lit mansion. But now that they were closer, they began to hear sounds. Sounds of laughter, music, and talk. In the windows they could see something going on, and looking down, they saw a long row of assorted cars and oddly-dressed people as they made their way into the lively mansion. Whatever was actually going on in there, the people seemed to be having fun of some sort. Some sort of party going on inside filled with dozens of guests.

How unaware they were of a certain boisterous walking apocalypse of a goddess named BJ hurtling in their direction in her bid to find the nearest bathroom (and from what Weaver and Bell remember, preferably one with a apple-scented air freshener).

Weaver went after BJ, cursing the unfortunate circumstances under her breath. Then, one-by-one, everyone followed suit in hopes they could find and bring BJ back before she could wreak any havoc.

' _... Really?'_ Bell thought with exasperation.

* * *

Weaver had already managed to slip past the crowd of party-goers and disappeared inside the mansion by the time Bell and the rest arrived at the entrance. Just as she feared, it was clogged with guests who were dressed in some of the oddest things.

"Bloody hell..." Kreass quietly muttered. Inside, Bell unanimously agreed with that statement as she gazed at the people crowding their way in. But as she was looking at them and contemplating on their questionable fashion tastes, Bell could swear that some of their outfits were familiar…

"Good golly, you tryin' to dress like a bimbo or something?" Bell turned to hear Cog bluntly ask the nearest party-goer. The person, a tall woman with long blonde hair dressed in a fancy green and white dress, turned around and at her height, Cog was met with the woman's bouncing breasts. "Oh, me? I'm supposed to be one of the goddesses in the _Four Goddesses Online_ game, not a bimbo thank you very much!" She then noticed Cog's angry look and suddenly realized what she was looking at. "And these aren't real, they're just padding! Relax, I'm not _that_ stacked!"

' _Wait, are they...?... Oh great, they're cosplayers,'_ Bell realized. ' _That explains a lot of things, some of which I didn't want to know.'_

Adjusting her glasses with haste, Bell decided to waste no time and attempted to navigate her way through the crowd which was slowly congregating inside the mansion. She tried to gently nudge past some toga-wearing guy who seemingly spent a salary's worth of credits on hair gel to get really spiky hair (' _Why do saiyans have to look like freaking troll dolls?'_ thought Bell).

"Yo, yo! What's the hurry? Too many weirdos cutting in line so don't you start." Bell rolled her eyes and slipped past the man, heading deeper into the mansion. She made it indoors and looked up to see a huge banner that said "Welcome to the Weekly BlueCon!"

' _BlueCon? Oh jeez, is this -'_ An unexpected bump interrupted Bell's thoughts as she turned around to see that it was from some teenage girl wearing a grey sleeveless dress and black sleeves and tights along with long cyan twintails. "C'mon c'mon! Let's get in already! Like, oh my gosh, I'm been dying to be here! I hope I can take good pictures so I can share it with my friends over on Tweeter!" she exclaimed quite energetically.

' _Oh no, not those electronic idols or whatever you call them. Get away from me already.'_ Bell attempted to get away with haste only to be boxed in on all sides by guests. The close confines meant an inevitable bump from an unsuspecting person, which meant bumping into more people. Soon, she was constricted in the sandwich of party guests and had no choice but to go with the flow. All around her, the drone of cosplayers surrounded her, all of them loud due to the congregation which in turn, made a lot of noise requiring even louder voices above the din.

"We traveled more than 22 kilometers from downtown, we still got a bag full of goodies, half a pack of Pocky Sticks, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."

"EEK! Gotta keep my precious Giita safe! The Light Music Club wouldn't like me if something bad happened to my guitar..."

"... and so she tells me that my cat's voice is a bit wry." "Wry? Really?" "Her words, not mine." "No, it's just I wouldn't describe it as 'wry'. I prefer 'screechy'." "Nah bro, 'wry' is better." "No, 'screechy'." "No, it's wry I tell you! WRYYYYY!"

"Hey what're you supposed to be, a cheese cube?" "I'm a giraffe, moron."

"Oh right, which end of a chocolate cornet do you eat? The fat end or the pointy end?"

Finally, Bell found some breathing space and freed herself from the cosplayer sandwich, finding herself inside a very large foyer, with a grand staircase at the far end and around her were windows and interior balconies of the second floor. Above her were grand chandeliers nestled among blue ribbons and banners.

As Bell stepped in to get a fix on her surroundings, her foot bumped into something on the ground. Looking down, she found Weaver sprawled on the floor.

"Hey, hey! I'm down on the ground here!" Weaver looked up to realize she was actually talking to Bell. "Oh good, it's you. Tried to go after BJ but someone stepped on my foot real hard. Thick crowd didn't give me a chance to get back up and even then, I lost track of her."

Bell helped Weaver up and as she looked around, she saw nothing but costumed attendants, plain-clothes guests, and tables to the brim with a wide variety of food, drinks, or gaming merchandise. While she was surrounded by many familiar faces, they were all from the innumerable works of fiction and not one of them were those of her fellow Devs.

Lost in an unfamiliar building and with no way to find where BJ is, they were in the thick of of trouble and both of them knew it.

"Okay, okay..." sighed Bell. "First things first, we should try - "

"AND WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO THE WEEKLY BLUECON!" A loud voice boomed over the loudspeakers. "HERE, YOU CAN UNLEASH YOUR INNER NERD, GAMER, OR WHAT HAVE YOU! AS ALWAYS, CONSULT WITH THE BROCHURE TO SEE THE LIST OF EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS! AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR HOST!"

The lights dimmed but the loud chatter increased in intensity as the regular cosplayers whooped and cheered in anticipation. A set of stage lights lit up, shining on a figure who descended the grand staircase at the opposite end of the room. Upon seeing her, the crowd cheered even louder, some even clapping and pulling out their phones to capture the moment.

The figure, a slender woman with long silky blue hair and an equally blue yukata, descended the stairs while cheerfully waving to the guests who cheered for her. A handful of confetti balls popped as she approached and she even quickly spun to strike a dramatic pose, pointing her finger somewhere up to the ceiling. The attendants still continued to cheer and the flashing of cameras intensified. Whoever she was, she was famous.

And as Bell and Weaver were concerned, they knew who the woman was.

' _Oh dear...'_ glumly thought Bell.

A microphone was handed to the woman by a maid who waited near the bottom of the grand staircase. The figure brushed her long hair back before she spoke.

"Welcome, everybody! Welcome to the one and only BlueCon, where fabulous and extravagant things happen that you won't find anywhere else! Help yourself to all the fancy balls, games, and festivities to your heart's content! And remember, autographs cost 300 credits!" said Blau, the celebrity Dev and self-proclaimed extraordinaire.

Bell had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: Azulerdam*****  
A nation on the most eastern side of the PC Continent, Azulerdam occupies a large island with a chanel separating it from the rest of the continent. The nation is densely urbanized, with the skyline dominated by numerous skyscrapers. As a heavily urban area, Azulerdam boasts a highly efficient public transportation system but what the nation is best known for is their advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. Practically everything in Azulerdam is automated or mostly handled by machines with minimal human oversight. This is also reflected in their military which is practically all made up of autonomous soldiers.

Despite the advanced technology surrounding it, Azulerdam Corlast remains to be a large building made of brick and stone, with multiple windows on every side and spires that run along the roof. The Corlast houses many departments that are specialized in running the nation's infrastructure and each has a central AI facilitated to oversee all operations, transmitting and receiving orders from multiple, lesser AIs throughout the nation (though according to protocols, human workers are instructed to work alongside the AIs for safety and security).  
***** End of Entry *****


	13. Chapter 12: Life of The Party

**Chapter 12: Life of The Party**

As Blau took in all the attention from the crowd of cosplayers, Bell and Weaver could only gape at the sight of her smiling and doing silly poses for her fans. Without saying a word, Bell turned and began to walk away.

"Wh - wait. Where're you going?" asked Weaver.

"I'm leaving before she sees me and make this whole thing awkward," Bell answered. But before she could take even two steps, she was yanked back by your jacket collar. "Hey! What about BJ? We can't just ditch her here, we both know what she could do! You especially!"

Grumbling, Bell complied and went back to Weaver's side. Weaver took a breath before speaking. "Okay. So… We gotta find BJ, but she said something about needing to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, the first step should be an easy one," Bell stated as though she was answering a very simple question. She slid behind a cosplayer as she wormed her way to a table as Weaver trailed behind. Scanning the table, filtering out all the games, artbooks, and keychains, Bell spotted pamphlets. She plucked one out and read the cover - _BlueCon & You_.

Satisfied, she opened it up and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for: a map of the building, with the layout simplified and divided by color, outlines, and symbols. Weaver caught up to look over Bell's shoulders wondering what she was looking for.

Having found what she was looking for on the map, Bell pointed at all of the bathroom symbols. "There's about a few on both the first and second floor. BJ should be somewhere near one. We find her, drag her out, and get out."

"Alright," said Weaver as she updated the map data on her device. "I call dibs on the first floor. If I find her, I'll call you."

"... ll?! Bell?!" The two perked up upon hearing a familiar voice amongst the din of a party. All around her, Bell could only see guests but soon spied something familiar moving among them. She briskly walked over to the figure and found herself almost bumping into Cog.

"'Ey Bell- JEEZ! You came outta freakin' nowhere!" she cried. Bell merely smirked. "With someone as loud as you, you're easy to find. But anyways - what about the rest?"

"Right here, meat!" Raw Meat came fluttering in behind Cog, staying close to her back. "The others are making their way. They should be here to meat us soon!"

"... Meat? Cog?" As if on cue, Nitroplus and Frost came out of the crowd that continued to clog the front entrance. "Where are- oh. There you are. The others should be close by… somewhere. Although Grün didn't make it in." She paused as she surveyed the environment she was in, loud and lively as it was. "What is this place? What's going on?"

"Um, look - there's not much time to answer that question. Point is, we need to find BJ and get her back with us before she causes any trouble. See this map? There's about a few places on each floor where she could be. Let's find her and get on with our stuff."

"I'll be looking through the ground floor, Bell will be doing the same on the second floor," added Weaver. "Let's split up. We should be able to find BJ more easily that way. And I really, really hope she doesn't find the dance floor. Her list of misdemeanors' already long enough as it is..."

"Alrighty! Let's get goin' Bell!" Cog declared as she grabbed Bell's arm and pulled her away despite her awkward protests. Nitroplus hurried after but not before leaving Raw Meat a message. "I'll go with them. Can you go with Weaver and Frost while I'm away?"

"No worries!" replied Raw Meat. As Nitroplus left to accompany Bell and Cog to the second floor, Frost couldn't help but smirk a little. "Never thought I'd see the day where I work alongside a band of Devs, let alone a piece of sentient floating meat," she muttered. She turned to Weaver. "Until we can rendezvous with the others, I think we should get to work. Let's hope this doesn't take long..."

* * *

Bell grimaced as she squeezed to the side of the staircase as a few guests descended. Though their costumes were of high-quality, their bulk meant that there was very little wriggle room. After the last of the group passed by, Bell met up with Cog and Nitroplus at the top only to be greeted to the sight of party decorations, stands, and people crowding the hallways. Heaving a weary sigh, Bell adjusted her glasses.

"... I hate parties. Especially the busy ones. And why did I ever thought of splitting us up in groups of three? Should've split us up in groups of two..."

"Problem?" asked Nitroplus.

"She doesn't like stuff that comes in threes," joked Cog.

"Correction: I just find comfort when dealing with multiples of two. Makes things simpler," argued Bell. "Though I will say that I like the hats a lot of people here wear. But that's pretty much the only good thing about this whole charade. Just how much farther do we have to go?"

"It's not too far, Bell," reassured Nitroplus, "the first bathroom is just ahead. However, it does not seem to be crowded."

Bell spotted the door and was surprised that there wasn't a line that extended past the doorway. "Whatever. I'll take a quick look inside to see if she's in there. Just wait here."

Bell briskly entered and the door closed. Outside, Nitroplus casually looked around, seeing the throng of guests. Almost all of them were dressed as characters she didn't recognize and some she had the feeling that she had seen them somewhere. She glanced at Cog who seemed somewhat annoyed; her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. Did she share Bell's dislike for such a hectic environment? Or was it the meticulous task? Or…

Cog briefly made eye contact with Nitroplus and abruptly looked away, flustered and cheeks blushing slightly. Confused, Nitroplus had to ask. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? What's that supposed ta mean? We're just standin' around in some kinda party with bawdy dressed-up party-goers flaunting their damn curves and crap. What's there to rustle my jimmies?"

Nitroplus wasn't sure how to respond and from the corner of her vision, noticed that among the guests, plenty wore outfits that were… revealing in varying degrees. Exposed thighs, cleavages, skimpy dresses walked amongst the mundane and ordinary. Glancing back at Cog (or more accurately, her figure), Nitroplus began to put two and two together.

The door opened and they were greeted by Bell. "Well, she's not in there," she sighed as she pulled out the pamphlet. "There's another place we can check out. Keep a lookout in case we run into BJ on the way."

"Bell, considering who we're talkin' here, I don't think we'll have to do much," quipped Cog. They walked further down, dodging crowds that lingered the hallway or moved about from other rooms. No matter where they went, laughter, talk, shouts, and sounds of entertainment blared.

After squeezing past a couple of guests, they had arrived at their destination. Like before, Bell checked inside but couldn't find BJ in there.

"Doggonnit! Where the hell could she gone to?" Cog asked to no one in particular. The three looked around, as if looking for inspiration for their next course of action. As she did, Bell saw what appeared to be someone cosplaying as some fine-dressed woman. But for some reason, her appearance intrigued Bell and upon noticing the woman's scowl, realized that she was actually looking at Kreass.

"Hey! Hey Kreass!" Bell shouted. Kreass perked up and quickly made her way to them. "About time I encountered a familiar face," she complained, "Where are the others?"

"Weaver, Frost, and Raw Meat are on the first floor; we're all trying to look for BJ," replied Bell, "Where's everyone else?"

"Somewhere within this infernal establishment," Kreass responded as she lightly adjusted her tie. "Gelb was with me but a crowd separated us. We were attempting to seek you out so that we may leave this place."

"Well, you sure found us alright," teased Cog. Nitroplus immediately interjected before anything could come out of Cog's sarcasm. "Either way, we should continue looking for BJ as well as the others who are here. We've been trying to find her at where we think she would most likely be but we have still yet to find her."

"Ugh. Then we have no alternative than to push onwards. This damnable congregation is nothing more than a mistaken byproduct of modern culture..."

Bell looked back towards the general direction of their next destination, already not looking forward to the task of searching when a woman in white frilly apron and headband approached them with a platter of glass drinks. A stereotypical maid, the kind that would only exist in an archaic gothic world or some Gamindustri fiction.

"Um, pardon me, but would you like some beverages? I still have plenty right here," she asked, her voice formal and composed.

"Unless it's tea, cider, or tap water, do not bother us," said Kreass, "We are preoccupied with our own matters."

The sudden appearance of the maid gave Bell pause, but as she was busy internally commenting on the maid's cliched appearance, she suddenly remembered something. She had seen a similar maid before, when Blau first appeared and thinking about it, she actually passed by another one while they were searching. If they are employed by Blau to take care of the mansion as well as the guests...

"Uh, first off, I have a question," began Bell as she took a step toward the maid. "We're looking for someone who got lost here - has gray hair, brown leather coat, generally acts like a child with a comprehensive grasp on weaponry and most swear words - have you seen anyone like that?"

The maid hesitated to think about Bell's question (especially with the description given). "Ummm… No, nothing that really comes to mind. I'm very sorry."

Bell simply shrugged. "Oh well," she sighed, "Come on, let's keep looking, I suppose..." As she turned to leave, Kreass laid a hand on her shoulder and tugged Bell close. "What was the meaning of that?"

"Well, it never hurts to ask from people who work here. Besides, someone surely has to have seen BJ around here," Bell replied, unfettered. Kreass let her go, inaudibly murmuring something. Now that everything was satisfactory, Bell resumed making her way to the next location with everyone in tow.

' _Well, the number of places where we can look is running out, and that's not counting everyone else,'_ Bell thought. ' _I wonder how Weaver is doing...'_

* * *

"Bad news! I couldn't find her there either!"

Weaver could only sigh as she slumped her shoulders. "Well, I doubt you would be welcome inside the bathrooms anyways, Meat. I can't believe you're actually doing this..."

"I thought this would work," asserted Frost, "Since she can hover, having her keep a lookout from above would be useful."

Weaver brushed her sidetail in impatience. "Yeah, well this 'UAV' idea of yours is just… not working. Plus…" She paused to glance at a trio of maids staring at their general direction and gossiping. "... it's embarrassing."

Frost shrugged, confused as to why Weaver would think of her idea that way. A cosplayer passed by and did a double-take upon seeing Raw Meat loitering above Frost's head. The cosplayer hurried off before Frost turned around as she surveyed the party to determine their next course of action.

"Anyways, there's still more places to check out. I think we should get going," she suggested. Weaver could only groan in response.

* * *

' _... Well, despite whatever's going on, her situation can't be any worse than ours,'_ thought Bell as they reached the next location. Unlike the previous two which were in hallways that lined the mansion walls, this spot was situated near the back where a grand open space filled with crowds, kiosks, banners, and places of rest and entertainment where people sat for board games or gathered for LAN parties.

' _Huh. Kinda reminds me of the old days.'_ As Bell approached the last bathroom they could look in, she turned and saw that there was a long line that snaked out past the door and along the walls next to it. As they stared at the sight, they all knew that this threw a wrench into their plans.

"We ain't gonna go wait in some darn line, no way Jose," said Cog.

"And we can't just cut in line either," conceded Bell. "But I still can't see BJ anywhere."

"Then there's a chance - probably likely - that she might not be there, but rather elsewhere," added Kreass.

"Yeah, I think… about an 85% chance she won't be there," SPARK's timid voice said. Everyone was about to nod along in agreement when they suddenly realized that she was right among them. Reeling in surprise, Kreass demanded answers. "Where in the blazes were you?!"

SPARK shrunk from the demand as she nervously fidgeted. "Well, I, um… I followed the rest of you in and, um, yeah… I was just following you guys. U-um, I'm not _that_ unnoticeable, am I…?" SPARK paused as the rest realized that she had some kind of magazine in her hands. "Oh, right! This science article is really fascinating to read! I mean, did you know that AI development here in Azulerdam is still advancing at a fast rate? Supposedly, experts say that we might go past quantum computing and entanglement soon! Oh-oh, and here on page 21, we'll be able to safely and efficiently manipulate dimensional space for convenient interdimensional travel! I don't know about you, but I'd say that's a science victory if I ever saw one!"

After SPARK finished her sudden babbling, the only sounds of dialogue came from the innumerable party guests and none from her companions, who simply stared at her in silence. Like a switch being flicked on, SPARK immediately retreated back to her shy blabbering self.

Seeing SPARK get all excited, Nitroplus couldn't help but smile a bit. But time was running short. "Anyways, where could BJ or the others be?"

"Um, well..." SPARK said as she timidly raised her index finger up, "Not sure where _everyone_ is, but, um, there's one of ours over by that table."

Everyone followed where SPARK was pointing and to their surprise, by the lounge area filled with round tables, there sat Gelb, her back to them but her black hair and bright yellow jacket the telltale giveaway. Sitting around the table were ordinary people who, for once, weren't in costume. As the crew approached, they could see that in the center of the table lay a peculiar arrangement of small items and game pieces that depicted soldiers and monsters.

"Alright… I'll move my Marines over here and engage that hellhound over there with their standard attacks using the Imperator Magnum rounds." As Gelb delivered her move, it surprised Nitroplus to hear her so… normal. Compared to how taciturn Gelb normal was, she sounded very talkative in comparison.

Another player, a teenage boy with a simple appearance, grabbed a 20-sided dice. "Mmm'kay. Roll for hit… 16, so that's a hit. Now roll for wounds… 13." The boy paused to look into a thick rulebook. "But since you're using the Imperator Magnum ammo, that adds 2, so that's definitely one hellhound dead." The boy finished by selecting one of his monster pieces and removing it from the field.

"Next, my Cougar tank will move 6 centimeters this way..." Gelb paused to gently push a small plastic model of a boxy-looking tank. "... and with its secondaries, will engage that Hell Baron over there -"

"You mean, Baron of Hell, Gelb. At least, that's what I prefer. When it comes to demons or underworld stuff, I happen to be an expert on that matter!"

Bell glanced up to see BJ's face poking out between the players, having nestled up behind them to watch but lacking a chair to sit on.

"What the -" sputtered Bell, "BJ! Where were you this whole time?"

"Well, Belly, lemme think," replied BJ. As if they had noticed her just now, the people closest to her tried to scoot away, annoyed that their tabletop game session was being interrupted. "Yeah, I rushed in to find a good bathroom. Luckily found a vacant one and took care of my business real quick!" A quick cough from Kreass and Nitroplus prodded BJ along with her story and to spare them of the unnecessary details. "Anyways, realized I was in some kinda party or some shit. But right then, saw a big-ass pupper strollin' around. So I tailed him but once he saw me he kinda ran off so I went after him. I mean, who could resist? We must've gone through most of the entire damn place before I caught him. All that soft, cuddly fur..." BJ began to grin and hug herself like she was in a fit of ecstasy. "Ten-outta-ten, would do again!"

"... Aaaand that's how you wound up finding Gelb eventually, right?" inquired Bell as she tried to not imagine what it must've been like for the dog cosplayer (spoilers: he decided to never return ever, ever again).

"Uh, yeah. Didn't take her to be one of those board game fellas, but once I heard that it involved demons and crap, I decided to stick around and watch."

"Not board game," Gelb replied, with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "it's _tabletop_."

Kreass sighed in frustration. "Whatever. We have what we came for. Try to contact the others so we may leave this farce behind."

' _For once, I think we're in agreement,'_ thought Bell as she fished out her cell phone. She punched in Weaver's number and waited, straining to hear her pick up amidst the chatter and background noise. After two beeps, Bell heard Weaver's voice. "Weaver, good news: we finally found her."

"Oh thank heavens," Weaver's tired voice came out, "I was almost at the end of my sanity. Getting too many weird and awkward looks because Frost wants Raw Meat to do most of the scouting. Then a maid came after us to ask what Raw Meat is supposed to be, then she accidently spilled a drink on my jacket, then a guest nearby got really uppity with the vendor running out of rare graphic novels… Ugh, the list goes on."

' _Oh damn.'_ "Well anyways, I found her by the back of the mansion, where the tabletop nerds are. I also got Kreass, SPARK, and Gelb with me."

"Oh, alright. I'm headed over there. Just don't let BJ out of your sight, alright?"

Bell peered over to the table to see BJ busy swiping truffles from the passing maid while SPARK poked around at the tabletop rulebooks, apparently captivated by the rules involving dice. "Yeah, sure. We'll try to keep her in place until then," she replied before ending the call.

With the stolen truffles, BJ noisily snacked on them, smacking the chocolate goodness on her lips and fingers. The people nearest to her decided "screw this" and got up and left, with those second-closest to her following suit, grumbling as they packed up the game pieces and left. With the table now bereft of other players, Gelb could only glare at BJ.

"Hey, BJ?" Bell asked as she approached her, "We're gonna be leaving soon so try not to make a mess, alright?"

"Hey c'mon Belly, a single drop of chocolate ain't gonna be the end of the world," said BJ between mouthfuls, "Besides, you'd think I'm the only person making any mess here? It's a party, people make a mess all the damn time."

Kreass rolled her eyes. "'Mess'... What you're making here is a pig pen. More importantly, you're drawing unwanted attention to us. I will certainly speak to Weaver about… disciplining you afterwards."

"Meat! Meat!" Everyone looked up to see a familiar strip of meat fluttering their way. "There you are! The others aren't far behind now, so let's get ready to move!"

As if on cue, Weaver and Frost emerged from the crowd in pursuit of Raw Meat. "Yes, lets," agreed Nitroplus, "Let's get outside before anything else happens -"

All of the sudden, the crowd of cosplayers and gamers all seemed to notice something behind them and all moved aside as three new figures entered. "Yes, here they are," said one, who was one of the maids. "They have been quite… peculiar guests, lady Blau."

' _Lady Blau…?'_ Bell mentally did a double-take as she comprehended that phrase and saw that one of the three newcomers was Blau - the self-proclaimed and talented (and as far as Bell was concerned, a little narcissistic) Dev worthy of her celebrity status - in the flesh, her bright blue yukata and hair being the first things to catch her eyes; her various trinkets, jewelry, and necklace of what looked to be keys apparent next. As her presence was made known, many in the party whispered quips of curiousity or praise among each other. Unlike the previous times Bell saw her, Blau was not all cheers, smiling, and posing.

"Oh? Well… Oh hang on!" Blau paused as she looked at who was causing some disturbances at her party. "My my my! I know these people! Why, they're all..." She paused as she caught a glimpse of Bell who was now silently wishing she hid.

"Oh ho ho ho! Why if it isn't little Bell here?" Blau hummed as she made her way to Bell, much to the surprise and confusion of everyone else. "I was wondering when you'd finally show up in my fabulous weekly parties. How's the store coming along? Fine? Well, my me and my games are doing _fantastic_! How's it feel to have actual competition to your own class-based FPS? Oh ho ho! Oh hey, have you been putting on a little weight? I hear this new diet method on TV works provided you're a celebrity! Oh ho ho ho!" Blau's "greeting" left Bell no room, both figurative and literal as Blau seemed to hop and skip around her at such a speed that she had to be teleporting.

 _Someone find an air vent so I can crawl in and disappear forever...'_ was all Bell could think as she had to suffer through Blau's constant self-compliments, not helped by the fact they were said in a matter reserved for old friends, spouses, and pet weapons of mass destruction. Also not helped by how Blau was seemingly invading Bell's private space.

Cog stepped in and forcibly pushed Blau away. "Lay your filthy rich hands off of her, ya dingus."

Looking down at the petite Dev, Blau couldn't help but be amused. Hoisting Cog up like a child, Blau playfully shook her. "Aww, aren't you adorable! With your small size and youthful look!"

"I'm not _that_ young, ya credit-suckin' dickbag!"

"Aw well, that's still good!" Blau stopped shaking the angry Cog who could only scream curses like an angry chihuahua as she looked back at the rest. "So, everyone, what brings you to the great and wonderful event? Here to admire my good looks? I know I'm already good-looking but -"

She paused as her gaze rested upon Nitroplus. Her jaw dropped and so did Cog as her grip loosened. "... Oh. My. Goodness. YOU'RE EXACTLY WHAT I NEED!" And in a blink of an eye, Blau zipped right up to Nitroplus, grabbed her, and dashed away with Nitroplus dangling behind like a weightless ragdoll. All the while, Blau was singing ditties that, from what Bell could tell, were about adorableness, how awesome Blau was, cuteness, how awesome she was, and something about someone named Leeroy.

The rest of the Devs and the maids were left flabbergasted at what had just transpired. A second passed before Bell had to step up and snap one of the maids back to reality. "Where's she going?"

"Um, I think lady Blau… she must have headed back to her quarters. It should be somewhere where she went. Follow us please."

She turned and the rest followed. Blau's sudden departure left a noticeable trail of vacancy as they encountered no resistance from the crowd of party-goers. The maid lead the Devs farther into the back-end of the mansion and threw a ornate-looking side passage devoid of guests thanks to a couple of more maids that patrolled the entry. Without having to ask, all could guess that Blau passed through due to the maids' confounding look. When they noticed the Devs escorted by one of their own, they moved aside to let them pass.

The hallway was long and as they walked down, its emptiness seemingly drowned out whatever ruckus came from outside. The maid descended into the hallway's depths and the others followed. They walked and walked, with no turns or deviation from the interior, until at last the maid stopped in front of a grand wooden door, decorated with intricate swirly carvings similar to the silver lines on Weaver's jacket.

The maid rapped her knuckle of the door twice and waited. A moment of silence followed and the maid knocked again. No response.

BJ not-so-politely pushed the maid aside. "Step aside, lady," she grunted right before she punted the door, ripping it free from its hinges and fell to the floor with a resounding " _Wham!_ ". With the path clear, BJ strolled inside.

"BJ, you complete dunce!" hissed Weaver. Looks from Kreass and the maid indicated their silent agreement, but BJ remained unfazed. Cog stepped, followed by Frost, Gelb, SPARK, Bell, and Raw Meat. Outnumbered, Weaver, Kreass, and the maid simply shrugged their shoulders and went in.

The inside of Blau's room was… special. All around were walls adorned with various antique-looking flower vases, glass displays containing strange glowing artifacts or awards, an ancient record player (which Kreass liked), holographic displays, levitating round tables, and portraits that all depicted Blau in various archaic outfits (' _That's Blau for you'_ Bell internally commented) - the room was a living mix of old and new, the display of the fantastic whether it was old and magical or futuristic.

As they took in the sights of the room that made up Blau's character and image, they heard hushed tones from the nearby rooms. Suddenly cautious, everyone made their way to the source of the noise which turned out to be coming from a door that slightly ajar, light seeping out brightly against the walls. As they drew closer, they could hear that the sounds were… voices?

"... and…. Mmm….. you like this?... This!... yes. Yes…. I insist… How about this!..."

Carefully, without tripping over each other's feet or touching the door, everyone peered through the opening and to their horror (even BJ) saw Blau committing a horrific act of atrocity on the helpless and hapless Nitroplus - an act that would be scarred in the minds and hearts of even the most brave souls.


	14. Chapter 13: Online Life

**Chapter 13: Online Life**

Disturbed by what she was witnessing, Cog flopped over, sending those closest to her falling down with her and causing the door to burst open, announcing their presence with a loud crash.

"HOLY SHIT BLAU, I DIDN'T KNEW YOU WERE INTO THAT KINDA CRAP!" screamed Cog.

Blau snapped around with a yelp, caught off guard by the Devs' sudden appearance and Cog's outburst. "Well excuse me, lil' Cog, but as a woman of fashion and taste, this is nothing to be terrified of!" Blau protested, seemingly stung by accusations of her hobby.

In Blau's hands was a frilly white and pink maid uniform, identical to the one worn by her maids except decorated with bright blue laces, pink dogoo silhouettes along the skirt edge, and with a suspiciously enlarged neckline. Behind Blau was Nitroplus who was seemingly stripped down to her undergarments, her clothes tossed aside alongside other outfits and costumes that Blau had dressed Nitroplus in up until the Devs arrived. Surrounding the two were racks and racks of various outfits, clothes, and costumes as well as a trio of tall mirrors and a camera (which many found highly suspicious).

Bell could only stare at the sight with a blank expression, her glasses even lopsiding itself on their own. "What…? Being a… messed up fashion designer?"

"Well, if you ignore the 'messed up' part, you could say that," mused Blau, "though I believe the more correct term to describe this is 'cosplaying'." And with that, she turned back to Nitroplus and threw the outfit over her. And in a snap, Nitroplus was now dressed like a maid, complete with a frill headband that seemingly came out of nowhere. Satisfied with the result, Blau voiced her approval and proceeded to take pictures of Nitroplus from many angles, sometimes even asking her to make a pose which Nitroplus obliged.

Cog cringed as she turned away with a hand over her face. "... I think I need an adult here. There ain't no peace from this evil..."

"Agreed," nodded Kreass, disgust spread across her face. "I may certainly need a stiff drink for me to forget this. Perhaps twenty."

"Aw, you're just over exaggerating things," pouted Blau as she skipped to the rack of costumes and pranced about looking for another one. "When you're as rich and famous as I am, having a fashion taste to match is necessary. Oh, how about this one!"

Blau whipped out a silky dark blue kimono and in a flash, Nitroplus was already wrapped in it though it was a little oversized for her, the dress' semi-sparkling sleeves dangling well past her arms and the bright yellow sash wrapped tight just below her breasts. "Hmm, yes! The Kobalt Kimono made from the finest silk and even incorporating silicon was _certainly_ worth the investment! It looks absolutely stunning, but of course that was never in doubt, of course not!"

With the speed to rival instantaneous teleportation, Blau undressed Nitroplus and pulled out another outfit, this time something more casual. Nitroplus found herself wearing a white shirt with cyan sleeves and a deep blue jacket on top, along with a grey mini-skirt and brown winter boots. It even took her a moment to realize that Blau had slipped a pair of spectacles over her eyes. "Hmm, casual yet tasteful, with the dangling cotton balls and the color scheme to let passer-bys know you are simple but capable of exquisite tastes, especially if you're an idol or in a music band! Of course, the glasses helps with the cuteness factor!"

Blau swapped the outfits in a blur. This time, Nitroplus was wearing a black school uniform with red trims along with a white ribbon, black gloves, and equally black leather boots. "Ah yes, for when you want everyone to know that you're business up front and back but with a touch of class. Alternatively, appeal to the 'evil-but-sexy' crowd with all the black and leather. From my ever-important personal experience, it seems to work for all age ranges."

More clothes were thrown off of Nitroplus and within a span of a few minutes, she found herself wearing a pink nurse outfit (complete with a syringe!), a red and brown magician's robe and hat (explosions sold separately), an unbuttoned tattered black school jacket with an even more tattered black hat (for when you need to make a Stand and punch the living daylights out of something), and a very revealing Santa outfit, all courtesy of Blau's wardrobe.

The Devs that didn't already evacuate the immediate premise could only stare aghast at Blau and her "hobby." Pleased with the results on Nitroplus, Blau spun to face them with sparkling eyes. Immediately, those that remained - Bell, Weaver, BJ, Gelb, Frost, Raw Meat, and SPARK - all looked away nervously. "Perhaps you would like to have your fashion expanded?" Blau suggested with a slight hint of perviness in her voice.

Weaver gagged. "Uh, no I'm good. _We're_ good."

"Negatory," agreed Frost.

"Uhhhh… uhhh..." stammered SPARK as her face reddened, "I… think that should constitute as a war crime..."

"Um, Nitroplus, you okay with this whole… thing?" Bell meekly asked, hoping to change the uncomfortable subject and hopefully discourage Blau from committing the heinous crime of playing dress-up on them.

But surprisingly, Nitroplus seemed unfazed. "Well, I don't find this to be embarrassing. I'm certain Blau has her own reasons that I shouldn't be judgemental of. Though a couple times her hands did come awfully close to my… nevermind."

The maid who accompanied them to find Blau sheepishly stepped in, her face struggling to remain cheerful disposition. "Um, well, you see, lady Blau has… particular interests that we all had to cope with. Granted, she's kind to us but, um… let's just say that this happens quite often. Lady Blau greatly prefers it when nothing is mundane."

As she listened, a thought crossed Bell's mind. Glancing at Blau's expansive wardrobe and at the maid and her stereotypical attire, Bell had to ask something. "So… does this explain why you're all…?"

The question must have struck a slight nerve with the maid as her cheerful facade cracked even more. "Um, why… yes. Lady Blau insisted we dress like this. Said it 'completes the image of a celebrity living in a mansion' and, er, something like that."

' _Yeah that really sounds like her alright.'_ Bell turned to see Nitroplus already busy putting her old clothes on with the help of Raw Meat while the maids went to work picking up the outfits that were tossed aside and neatly folding them back on the rack. Meanwhile, Blau occupied herself by taking the camera and vacating the room, presumably to her room and to add to her… "collection."

' _Other than Lovecraftian mythos, psychopathic minds, and the contents of my old fridge that I threw out, there are things no man was meant to know,'_ thought Bell.

Leaving the room, she saw Kreass and Cog waiting in Blau's living room, having made sure that they missed out on Blau's shenanigan. Having noticed Bell and the others approaching, Kreass immediately spoke her piece. "So when do we make ourselves scarce from this infernal residence?"

"Nitroplus is getting dressed," replied Bell as she pointed her thumb behind her, "Once she's ready, then we should definitely leave."

"Ugh. We better," added Cog, "The sooner we get there an' blow some rats up, the better. I'm more bored than a defunct rodeo machine 'ere."

BJ received an unexpected light slap to the back of her head. "Remember, no running off this time," said Weaver as BJ glared at her. SPARK engrossed herself by studying the various displays around Blau's room while Frost and Gelb merely vouched to stand off to the side, only waiting for the moment when they could leave the place.

Bell yawned as she turned around and head back to the dressing room. "I'll check on Nitroplus. Then let's get going." Cog quickly followed after Bell. "Aw heck, might as well check in on 'ol Nitry too."

* * *

As Bell and Cog walked back to the room where they discovered Nitroplus (and to be honest, neither really didn't feel good about going back there), Bell found the door to be partially closed, similar to before. And just like before, they heard voices coming from the room, all of them definitely from Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Blau. ' _Oh great...'_ thought Bell.

Gently creaking the door open, Bell saw Blau back to her usual antics: this time showing off some of her ornate and bizarre outfits. In Blau's hands were two outfits that she had Nitroplus wear before - the "casual yet tasteful" one and the "evil but sexy" one. It seemed that Blau was trying to convince Nitroplus of those two costumes' fashion and value, either to stroke her own ego or something. But much to Bell and Cog's surprise, Nitroplus seemed to like them.

"Oh ho ho ho! Of course, I knew you'd like these two!" sang Blau as she proceeded to perform a quick twirl and seemingly hug herself despite holding the two outfits in her hands. "I knew these two were special, especially when worn by someone of Gamindustri culture! I doubt anyone could resist keeping these!"

"Then, if that's the case, may I keep them?" asked Nitroplus. The question stunned everyone who heard it.

"... Err, well, these outfits are quite valuable, if I say so myself," said Blau, this time with some uncertainty in her usually self-assured tone. But seeing a slight tinge of disappointment in Nitroplus's face, Blau quickly changed her tune. "B-but of course, since you're quite appreciative of my fashion taste and style, I suppose there's no harm in letting you keep them! I'll even be generous enough to give them to you free of charge!"

Blau snapped her fingers and a maid brought a gaudy bag which Blau folded and stuffed the two outfits in before handing it to Nitroplus. She accepted the bag with a smile and seeing this, Blau couldn't help but smile along (though it wasn't just because giving gifts gave her a fuzzy feeling...).

Cog couldn't believe what she saw. "Oh you gotta be kiddin' me!" she exclaimed as she lost her balance and fell, flinging the door wide open and snapping their attention to them. Seeing Cog's overreaction, Bell could only rest her face on the palm of her hand and sigh.

"Nitroplus, we're planning on leaving now that you're good to go."

"Aw, you're not staying?" whined Blau, "What's the big rush anyways? Being in a hurry is quite uncharacteristic of you, my dear Bell. I thought you were always slow when it came to deadlines."

Bell scoffed. "Oh please, I got dragged into this and right now, I just want to get it done and over with. I got other things to do."

A smug look spread across Blau's face as she leaned in. "Oh? And what would those 'other things' happen to be? Coming up with how to salvage your 'Team Garrison 2' FPS which is so last season compared to my 'Overseer' which is still the bee's knees? You're not the only one who can make a successful class-based shooter with a cartoony artstyle you know!"

Bell rolled her eyes as if to brush off Blau, but Nitroplus and Cog could see that her patience was starting to crack. "Yeah well, would you have gotten the idea if it weren't for my work?"

Blau hopped back to perform an overly-dramatic turn before giving her retort with an equally overly-dramatic point of her finger, like something straight out of a certain bizarre adventure. "Ha! You may have enjoyed experience in that subject, but in this case the student has clearly surpassed the master! Everyone prior to release was gossiping about how good and refreshing it would be compared to your stale product!"

"My game which has received numerous updates and patches even to this day? 'Stale'? Oh, please. If you actually kept track of that game, you'd find that it's almost recognizable now than it was when it first launched. If there's anything that's stale, I think it would be your MMORPG."

Blau struck another dramatic pointy-finger pose, her face and tone hinting at indignation despite her facade of playful boasting. "Ugh!" she gasped, "I'll have you know that as one of its key makers and as an avid fan, 'Four Goddesses Online' is anything _but_ stale!"

"Um, guys? Gals…?" meekly spoke Cog who awkwardly stood to the side alongside Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and a couple of Blau's maids as they watched the spat play out.

"... and even in this day and age, 'Four Goddess Online' still holds up! A world as vast as it can't surely go stale!"

"Yeah, well I imagine the gameplay could. Who's ever heard of having to grind the same boring tasks for days just to earn something?"

"It is not _boring_ , just _tedious_! My unofficial-but-if-I-could-befriend-I'd-totally-befriend friend '+GreenHeart+' once said that so long as the reward is worth going for, the task doesn't matter!"

Nitroplus tried to speak up. "Um… you guys..."

"... And what's so important that you would actually get something done?" demanded Blau who's haughty exterior has almost given way to shrill fury. "Does it involve weedle cutesy Nitry over there? Besides foreign cuteness, what could she possible have that you would want to come this far? I mean -" She paused as she turned to Nitroplus who returned the gaze with a confused look, then Blau glanced at Cog standing awkwardly next to her. Then back at Nitroplus. Then it hit her and Blau returned to her overly smug expression.

"Ohhhhh, I get it! You must be on a date with Nitroplus! Considering how microscopic Cog's boobs are, you must've really fallen for someone who's way more stacked!"

Upon having the words leave Blau's mouth, a metaphorical lightning bolt struck everyone present numb in shock and disbelief. And like what would happen if one did get struck by lightning, one could see almost see steam coming from Bell's head as she felt herself burning up from embarrassment. She couldn't think of any coherent to say, only quiet mumbling came out.

But Blau was seemingly oblivious. She even went so far as to lean forward right until her face was right in front of Bell's chest and inspected it with a sharp stare. "Yes, I could definitely see that! You two are roughly the same height and have similar bust size! There's no mistaking it! I honestly never expected you to seek out one with such a similar figure!"

Bell continued to remain hunched from embarrassment. "... I consider myself to be average..." she mumbled quietly.

But the words simply failed to reach Blau's ears as she put her hand to her hip and did a stereotypical noblewoman's laugh. "Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! Oh dear me, I didn't know you swung that way! Well well well, I may have to express my congratulations at a later date!" With Bell busy burying her face in her hands in shame (an action that was imitated by a couple nearby maids and Cog) and Blau being back to normal, she straightened herself out and puffed her chest out in victory.

Nitroplus had trouble trying to comprehend what had just transpired. Bell secretly falling for her? She didn't know what to think. Granted, even she knew how ridiculous it was and it wasn't something for her to judge, but…

Nitroplus snapped herself out of her thoughts. She looked to her side at Cog who was seemingly whispering incoherent and juvenile murderous threats beneath her very flustered appearance.

A maid suddenly barged into the room holding phone, evidently confused as to what had just happened moments ago. Noticing Blau, she trotted her way over to her. Seeing one of her servants appear, Blau ceased her jovial laughter.

"Lady Blau, I just got a call from the Illustrious Film Company - it's from Mr. Finnegan. It's something about the next project."

Intrigued, Blau instantly shifted from overly-dramatic to graceful. Thanking the maid, she took the phone. "Excuse me," she apologized to Nitroplus and Raw Meat, "I have a call to make." And with that, she strode behind a folding screen and picked up the call. "Hello Mr. Finnegan!... Oh, yes. I agree that our recent work has had some success in the box office… Why yes, even the critics enjoyed it! I think, given enough time, we'll have all we need to proceed with the sequel!... Mm-hmmm..."

' _She has ties with the film industry?'_ thought Nitroplus. A little curious, she walked over to Bell whose embarrassment was now beginning to simmer away. Her flushed cheeks were gone and she wasn't slouching anymore. Hoping not to accidently provoke Bell, Nitroplus settled for lightly tapping her shoulder to quietly get her attention.

"I wasn't aware that she helps make movies," whispered Nitroplus, "Then again, there's not a lot I know about her. Judging by the rather vocal dispute, you two seem to know each other. In a not-so-friendly way."

"Ugh. Where to begin?" quietly groaned Bell as she straightened herself up and rubbed her cheeks to rid herself of fatigue. "Ever since she made a highly successful MMORPG and a successful RTS, the fame's been getting into her head. And now that she made a successful class-based FPS that was hyped to be a successor to mine as well as me adopting a title that originated from her, I'm sure she pinned me to be her rival or something because she has _not_ stopped being up in my case."

Nitroplus nodded in understanding. "And since when did a Dev get involved with making movies?"

"Quite recently actually. So now you have a Dev who's made a successful MMO, an RTS, her own MOBA, an FPS, experience with making movies and cinematics, but is still a pain in the ass," said Bell, "And it doesn't help that she actually skilled in all of this."

"Ugh. I swear, if I hear my boobs be described as 'microscopic' one mo' time..." Cog growled.

"Don't worry, meat!" reassured Raw Meat, "You're fine just the way you are!"

"... Mm-hmm… Yes, but it'll take some time. Got a busy schedule after all!... Alright alright, I'll see you soon!" A click was heard and Blau reemerged from behind the screen to hand the phone to a maid. With that taken care of, she skipped over to Nitroplus. "Now then! Where were we?"

"On the topic of leaving," answered Bell, who made a turn to leave. But she quickly noticed that Nitroplus and Raw Meat were not following. "Uhh..."

"About what we were doing that required us to be here," began Nitroplus, "It's a long story, but we were on a quest to fight rats and end their video game piracy operations here. They're down to their last base of operations in this nation. That's why we gathered together."

This revelation surprised Blau, as her overly-warm expression gave way to widened eyes. "Wh - wait. You're all here because of that? I, um… that's not what I expected. I originally suspected that you were all here because of how marvelous I am!" (' _Yeah right,'_ sarcastically thought Bell.)

"Um, sorry but that isn't the case," continued Nitroplus, "The sooner we get moving to finish off the rats, the better. The more time we waste, the more time the rats will have to prepare for us and -"

"H-hang on for just a flippin' moment!" Blau's sudden outburst brought everyone's thoughts to a halt. "So you're telling me that you've been traveling all over quashing evil and doing the whole continent a favor?" Nitroplus, Bell, Cog, and Raw Meat silently nodded, all unsure where this was headed.

The response was met by an offended gasp from Blau. "Oh, how could you afflict this to me? To embark on a quest and seize the glory without me?!" She then covered her face with her hands in (phony) despair. "For others to journey on such things without my knowing! No no no, this must not stand!" She snapped out of her (pretend) despair and now replaced it with fiery determination and desire (likely a little more genuine).

"Very well - I, Blau, the most talented and celebrated Dev of our generation with the Acclaim to match, shall join you in your quest! And I won't take 'no' for an answer because I won't tolerate any missed opportunities for me to show everyone why I'm one of the best and to make sure that I'm one of the best! Patricia!"

One of the maids, a young bright-blonde bespectacled woman now confirmed to be named Patricia, stepped forth. "Um, yes lady Blau?"

With a quick spin and another dramatic pose that involved pointing at nothing in the sky with her index finger, Blau gave her request. "See to the computer in my bedroom! If any of my guild members ask me where I am, politely tell them that I'm busy saving the PC Continent and that I shall be back soon in time for our late-night raid party! And I have around a hundred members so be vigilant, especially if a certain 'xXxILoveBlauxXx' comes by!"

"Um…! O-of course." Patricia quickly bowed and dismissed herself from the room. Bell and Cog couldn't believe this as they gawked back-and-forth between Nitroplus and Blau who was busy daydreaming of triumphant glory and exciting endeavors (all involving her, of course).

"I… I can't believe you had her tag with us..." groaned Bell. Cog concurred with the sentiment with her own complaints. "Nitry, why in doggone carnation did you think it woulda been a good idea to invite her along with us?"

Nitroplus gave Cog a quizzical look, as though the question was lost on her. "I was only telling her the truth. And she was wondering what we were doing - or more specifically, what Bell was doing."

"Aw hell no..." complained Cog, "I ain't keen on workin' alongside some Scrooge McDoucheface who was being an ass to my Belly here and called my mammaries 'microscopic'. Especially the last part - _especially_ the last part."

Blau giggled a little upon hearing this. "Aww, you still mad about that? Alright then..." And with a quick flourish, brandished a highly skimpy two-piece that would have left _very_ little to the imagination. "Perhaps you would like this so that the next time you visit the beach or go pose. Helps compensate the lack of a mature busty body by showing off your other assets that should certainly be an eye-catcher even to those who aren't into petite body types."

Everyone could only stare in horror at the outfit and instantly thoughts of imagining Cog wearing it brought varying degrees of revulsion and embarrassment. Expecting a reaction worthy of a cheerful presentation, Blau frowned at the highly lukewarm reaction. "Hm? What's wrong? Were you perhaps expecting more frills befitting your more childish appearance? Or would you prefer it orange to celebrate your relationship with Bell?" she asked as she drew closer to Cog who currently had the face one has seen naughty images of themselves online.

The moment Blau took one step to bring the outfit closer to Cog, she immediately leaped up and ran out of the room, screaming bloody murder. "BAD TOUCH! BAD TOUCH! STRANGER DANGER!"

Blau could only stare wide-eyed at Cog's sudden departure (at least from her perspective. Bell would've described it as "Cog's 'screw-this-I'm-leaving-and-no-longer-want-to-live-in-this-dimension-anymore' departure"). "... What did I do?"

* * *

Bell, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Blau found Cog having face-planted on the rugged carpet of Blau's living room, having apparently tripped over a couch at full speed judging by how one of her foot was still on top of the couch's back. Also evident was that everyone had gathered around Cog having seen her flee the room.

Weaver turned to face them as they arrived. "Um, did something happen in there? You and Cog were away for quite a while, then I think I heard yelling, and then Cog ran out the room screaming something about 'bad touch' and 'stranger danger'."

Bell quietly sighed as she adjusted her glasses. " _Wellllll_ , Blau announced that she's interested and wants to come along. So in other words, bad stuff happened."

"Really? I would actually consider that good news since she's a Dev," objected Nitroplus.

"I know right?" agreed Blau in a sing-song voice before hugging Nitroplus's head tight to her chest. "Weedle cutey Nitry knows what's best!"

Seeing Blau give an excessive amount of affection to Nitroplus made Weaver raise her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Uh, right. I definitely won't be adding that part in my story. I don't think it can be any more weird than it already is..." she muttered to herself.

Frost merely chuckled as she made slight adjustments to her cap. "This is really starting to become a real bad company, huh?"

"Do _not_ revel in this," muttered Kreass who shot a disapproving glare at Blau. "We have wasted more time than I would have liked here. I'd imagine that the rat's last bastion is already well-prepared for our arrival."

"Probably..." said Gelb.

"Well, um, I'd imagine that there would be about a 98% chance that the rats are waiting for us," spoke SPARK, "... Maybe a 96% chance if circumstances are generous."

"Whatever. I still call dibs on getting first blood on those fools," boasted BJ as she cracked her knuckles. "I could _really_ kill something today!"

"Oh my! This is really starting to feel like an MMO but IRL! Oh gosh, I wonder what the reward would be!" squealed Blau as she twirled round and round at high speeds like a top before coming to a stop in a heroic pose. "Alright! Today is the day that I, Blau, will lead this party to the rat dungeon and into victory! With my enlightened experience and insight, nothing can surely stop us and my unbeatable skills! I expect plenty of good loot waiting for me! Now, let's get this raid party started!" And with that, she began skipping to the exit as though without a single care or worry in the world.

"We will look after the establishment while you are away, lady Blau," called a maid as she bowed, an action that was mimicked by all other maids that were present. Blau answered with a wink, an enthusiastic handwave, and a slight giggle as she continued skipping to the exit with everyone else reluctantly following behind until…

"... Hey, wait! What happened to the door?!"

* * *

The night sky continued to cool in the long absence of the sun. All natural light was replaced by vibrant artificial light of the city outdoors. The ambient cold was something everyone first experienced as they stepped outside of Blau's mansion after a long trudge through the still-ongoing party; even with the guests beginning to trickle out, the mansion was still quite packed and the presence of Blau and the other Devs didn't help matters when it came to leaving the premise.

A cold gust came through and Gelb immediately sneezed. Bell looked up at the night sky with a tired expression on her face. "Ugh. I hate having to stay up far longer than I have to."

"Well about damn time you peeps showed up," grunted a familiar voice.

All eyes turned to see a rather grumpy-looking Grün sitting idly next to the mansion's entrance chewing a cigar as she removed a pair of headphones from her ears. After giving the cigar one more puff, she nonchalantly grinded the lit end against an ashtray attached to her wheelchair which was already littered with several burnt-out cigars. She had clearly been waiting outside for quite some time and she was not in a good mood.

"Sorry. Were you waiting here for long?" apologized Nitroplus. Grün merely gave a curt cough in response. "You bet your skinny ass I did! You fellas rushed in while I had to roll on these four damn wheels. And by the time I got to the entrance, a bunch of try-hard nurses wouldn't let me in because my smokes were 'a health hazard' or some new age snowflake shit." Grün paused as a frustrated sigh came out. Then she finally noticed Blau.

"So who's she? Some kinda wannabe fashion or interior designer? Why do we need one?"

An indignant look spread across Blau's face. "Ugh! Excuse me, I am the fabulous celebrity-Dev extraordinaire Blau! Creator of the world's famous MMORPG, RTS, a MOBA, and known for cinematics that are second to none! Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Nope." Grün's came immediately and casually. "I don't keep up with current events and even then, I don't care enough to know you." Although Blau did her best to pout in Grün's direction, she merely laughed it off.

The motion of Grün stashing away her headphones caught Nitroplus's attention. "I guess you were listening to music while you were waiting?"

"Well, yeah. You think I would wait outside for your sorry asses doing nothing but smoke cigars? Oh sure, I'll do just that, just sit here and quietly waste away. So yeah, I was listening to music - good kind, I should add. Newbies these days can't appreciate the golden oldies."

Nitroplus's curiosity grew a little more. "Is that so? May I have a listen?"

Grün grunted as she handed her headphones to her. "Knock yourself out."

Nitroplus slipped the headphones over her head and immediately, her ears were greeted to the sound of thrashing rock guitars, heavy upbeat drums, and bit of techno music. From her limited knowledge of music, she would classify this somewhere between rock and heavy metal. As the music progressed, its intensity increased, with the guitar solo taking center stage while the riffs and drums seemed to imitate marching soldiers. All together, the kind of music suitable for the clashing and onslaught of armies, a brawl befitting of world wars.

Nitroplus gently removed the headphones and returned them to Grün who smirked. "Never told you that I'm actually quite the metalhead, eh?"

"Well, it was certainly interesting to listen to," replied Nitroplus.

Weaver checked the time on her wrist computer and frowned. "Well, anyways. We should get to the Azure Crypt as soon as we can. That cup of coffee I just drank ought to keep me up for a little while but it won't keep me up forever."

"I concur," agreed Kreass, "Let us return to our vehicles and finish this."

"Oh! You drove here?" cheerfully inquired Blau, her animosity with Grün immediately forgotten. "What kind of cars did you bring along? Hopefully something nice and fancy, because I shall ride whatever is the fanciest!"

Bell and Weaver subtly exchanged awkward looks to each other. "... Sure," Weaver said, trying to sound as accommodating as possible. As Blau followed Weaver to her car in all smiles, Bell sighed as she followed Cog back to the cars.

"... Yeah, you ain't stickin' around with that hag, right?" asked Cog. Even someone like her could see what Bell had in mind - having to ride with Blau was an easy way to turn a short road trip into hell.

"Was that even a question?" replied Bell. A short walk and they all reached the cars, exactly where they had parked them before. As Frost hopped into the driver's seat of her military vehicle, the others - BJ, Gelb, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, SPARK, Grün, Cog, and Bell - climbed in through the back door. Despite the necessity of having her carpool with Frost, Grün grumbled bitterly as she gingerly accelerated her wheelchair up the small ramp after everyone entered.

Once inside, Bell couldn't help but look around the interior. Like the military aesthetic that the exterior exuded, so did the inside of Frost's car: it shared part of the gray metallic exterior and lacked any curves - the aesthetic practically breathed angular rigidness and order, with all the identical passenger seats lined along the walls. She took a seat close to the front alongside Cog and Nitroplus.

' _Geez, even the seat cushion's lacking in creature comforts,'_ Bell mentally griped, finding a little more displeasure at the apparent lack of reclining seats. The rest seemed less troubled by the lack of cushy conveniences, though Bell could clearly see that Grün's discomfort came almost entirely out of the fact she had to ride with someone who's guts she hated. The fact that her wheelchair barely fit in the passenger compartment didn't help matters either, as Bell, Cog, BJ, SPARK, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat had to make do with the remaining space available.

The engine purred to life and the slight jolt indicated that they were moving to their next destination. Finally, soon Bell and the others would finally help defeat the rats for good and she'll be back at _The Pipe Dream_ lazing around in her home selling merchandise and sleeping. One more gig and she can relax and worry more about paying the bills and earning profits instead of risking her skin fighting monsters and criminals. An easy life certainly beats an adventurous one.

As Grün filled the air inside Frost's vehicle with cigar fumes and as Cog and BJ sang spontaneous off-key ditties boasting about their abilities and the mayhem they'd cause, Bell decided to get a quick shut-eye until they arrive. Thinking back, she was really starting to miss the peace and quiet that Weaver's car afforded.

* * *

Despite the upbeat optimistic atmosphere within the the passenger compartment, Nitroplus couldn't help but notice that she didn't share the sentiment. Rather than join in, Nitroplus found herself merely looking around, content to watch the others. Granted, the positivity was only stemming from Cog and BJ, but surely she should feel some happiness as well, right?

But something felt off. Was she nervous? Likely. Was she frightened? She was no stranger to combat. She's fought the rats before and the next fight shouldn't be much different. The nagging feeling in the back of her head refused to leave so she settled with blankly staring through the narrow bulletproof-glass window to pass the time. As she did so, it finally hit her.

She turned around to look at everyone again. Bell looked like she was asleep, Cog was busy making immature jokes while BJ laughed along then started telling her own, Gelb merely stared out the window like what she was doing, SPARK tried to make herself comfortable but the smoke of Grün's cigars kept her from doing so, Frost was busy following Weaver's car on their way, and Raw Meat was resting on her lap. Seeing all of her companions up to this point made her mind wander back to when she first met them.

' _Bell and Cog were the first I met that chose to join my mission. Though Cog may have done so only for the excitement and as for Bell, I regrettably pressured her into joining against her will. Maybe...'_

' _Weaver, she's here just so she can get ideas for her next book. And BJ's too wild and chaotic. She's more into fighting for the sake of fighting than protecting the continent.'_

' _SPARK wants to have friends, but I think she's rather meek and lacking much self-confidence to actively protect this land.'_

' _Kreass… Well, she never really thought highly about the others. She's more concerned that we would make a fool of ourselves than anything else.'_

' _Gelb seems like she joined only because there was nothing for her to do, and after hearing her backstory, I wonder if there is anything for her after this...'_

' _Frost and I may be after the same thing, but if she's strictly under orders from someone else then who knows what she'll be doing? Plus, if what Grün said was of any indication, she's rather content letting others tell her what to do.'_

' _Grün is not only physically handicapped from protecting this continent, and after meeting her, she's lost the drive to act like a Dev, let alone help maintain order on the PC Continent.'_

' _Blau… To be frank, she's more worried about her own reputation than anything else.'_

Thinking back to the moment she began her journey and met each and every single one of them felt like it a long time ago. She could remember back when she first began fighting against every criminal back in Cape Aspiration, how her motives were deconstructed and subverted by Linda, and now…

Now they had one more mission to accomplish, one more job to complete. Perhaps once the rats are defeated they would discover more evil to fight. Or maybe the rats were all that was there. Now that Nitroplus paused to think, she wasn't sure what to do with herself once the rats were defeated. Would that be it? Go home or find more bad guys to fight?

As they drew closer and closer to their destination, she would have her answer soon enough.


	15. Chapter 14: Crackdown

**Chapter 14: Crackdown**

It was like visiting a haunted mansion or a graveyard at the dead of night. Though, looking at the entrance of the Azure Crypt, it felt like a combination of the two, with a metal gate and high concrete walls acting as the entrance while the visible parts of the facility loomed behind.

As Bell hopped off of Frost's APC of a car, she squinted to see in the overwhelming darkness that contrasted harshly with the bright but short-ranged fluorescent lights. As she observed, the Azure Crypt had a conspicuous lack of lights considering how nobody was supposed to be here.

' _Clearly we're the exception,'_ thought Bell. She tried to squint through the blackness that draped over everything. From what she could see, the front gate was definitely locked and barred. The apparent lack of human security worked in their favor as they could linger outside without much fear of getting spotted, though that may be a different story once they get inside.

But her observations did confirm her suspicions. If the front gate was perfectly intact, then it must mean that the rats did in fact have a way in. It was just a matter of finding that passage.

Bell felt someone walk up to her side. "Thought of anything?" Bell merely scratched the side of her head in response to Nitroplus's question. If there was a backdoor for anyone to enter, then the question was where and how they would find it.

"Try walking around the outer wall, see if there's someway that the rats could've gone through. Maybe they dug their way underneath." Nitroplus nodded and motioned for Raw Meat, Frost, and SPARK for assistance. As she walked away, Bell saw Weaver approach her with her eyes on her wrist computer.

"From what I can tell, they would have plenty of ground to cover," she reported, "Those walls cover a fairly wide area. But they look intact to me. I don't know how they could've found a way in through the walls without anyone - person or automated security - from discovering it."

"Yo, maybe they rocket-jumped their way over?"

Weaver rolled her eyes. "No, BJ, I'm fairly certain someone would've noticed a bunch of lunatics accidentally blowing themselves up. In case you haven't realized, explosions and flying ragdolls are quite noticeable."

" _Quite_ ," agreed Kreass who returned from the outskirts further away from the Azure Crypt with Gelb, back from whatever search she began on her own initiative. "The rats would certainly want a highly discreet method of infiltrating the facility. But at the same time, they would want an efficient way to enter to and fro this facility. In fact..." Kreass paused to adjust her glasses.

"... I did in fact find a potential way in. Get everyone together and follow me."

* * *

As the Azure Crypt was an isolated location placed far from any city, the area surrounding it comprised of what little was the land's rural region. Gingerly making her way across the open grassy weed-infested field so as to not trip, Bell and the rest followed Kreass and Gelb. The outdoors was already dark enough as it was by the Crypt but as they went further out, the Devs had to resort to using whatever light source they could procure to reach whatever Kreass discovered.

The locked entrance of the Crypt was still within sight and running distance but considering the darkness and slow progress, the walk felt like a long hike. But in front of them, amidst the blackness that stretched all across the Azulerdam landscape blurring the horizon and the sky, there lay a single speck of fire. Though dim, it caught everyone's attention and Kreass and Gelb headed towards it.

As the group drew closer, the speck of fire flared up and in the half-second of illumination, it became clear that it was coming from a cigar that Grün was smoking as she sat next to Blau. As Kreass and Gelb reached them, the cigar flared up again and Grün breathed out a trail of smoke. Taking a close look, it became apparent that her wheelchair had erected some sort of device that had a small dim display and a rod that jabbed into the dirt.

"Took you long enough," Grün grunted before coughing out her cigar. By impulse she tried to lean forward to pick it back up only to find that it had already been extinguished.

"So, uh, wattayah find?" Cog's question was something the others shared in their mind. Kreass lightly coughed as she explained. "As I have mentioned, the rats would need a discreet yet efficient passage into the Azure Crypt if they wish to operate out of it. Digging underneath the outer walls may be obvious but of course, it is obvious. They would also be at the mercy of any automated security measures that protect the surface facility. So I asked Grün to perform a quick favor: see if there was any hidden underground passages. As I suspected, we found one."

"Ahem. I think _I_ found the entrance," interjected Blau who pouted with hands on her hips.

Kreass gave out an annoyed sigh. "Whatever. The point is, the rats must be using that tunnel as their ingress and egress."

"And where would the tunnel be?" questioned Nitroplus.

"Right 'ere," uttered Grün as she smacked a large bush next to her. Immediately, Blau summoned an antique steel sword and with a single swipe, sliced the bottom of the bush, effectively uprooting it and exposing a dirt hole in the center. As everyone peered inside, those who had a flashlight illuminated the hole, revealing a simple dirty hatch.

"Wow. Uh, just how long was that here?" asked SPARK. Her question was seemingly ignored as most gathered to get a close look at the hatch, the light reflecting the unpainted metal and various small scratches. "And well wouldn't you know it?" began Grün as she pointed to the display built into her wheelchair. "Bastards got quite the tunnel system below-ground. Goes somewhat deep and it definitely leads to the place."

As Grün's wheelchair folded away the apparatus, Frost hopped into the hole and gripped the handle on the hatch. She lifted the handle half-expecting the hatch to be locked, but to everyone's surprise, the hatch lifted open without much resistance. Quickly pulling out her assault rifle and flashlight, Frost aimed it down the tunnel only to find it completely bare.

"Alright, this is our ticket in. Let's go."

* * *

Several meters beneath the surface lay the multiple floors of power stations, locked archives, and miscellaneous storerooms that made up the upper sections of the Azure Crypt that also served as an antechamber to the innumerable lower levels. In one such dusty dimly-lit storeroom, there lay long-forgotten crates and boxes containing items that the Azulerdam government had deemed as trash. Trash that they had chosen to dump at the Crypt for storage or for dismantling with full confidence that automated security on the surface would be enough to deter anyone willing to trespass the facility in hopes of getting away with illegally salvaging any robotic or computer parts. And even if they were to somehow cart it outside, cutsoms and border guards would've apprehended them before any looters would have the chance to take their loot off of the island.

What the Azulerdam government officials or security haven't taken into consideration would be that a metal grate would suddenly be discreetly dislodged as Frost emerged, sweeping her gun left and right for any potential hostiles.

"All clear," she quietly reported as she walked out of the opening. After her emerged Bell, Nitroplus, BJ, then Kreass who scowled. "Preposterous… I will certainly raise this issue to the government the moment we accomplish what we came for."

" _And_ after we cleared out," added Weaver who came out after her. "I'm all fine for pointing out a major security hole but not if it gets all of us incriminated. That'll be a terrible plot moment."

Beams of white light lanced out and move about as they surveyed their surroundings. The hidden tunnel they entered had apparently led them to the upper basement. As some of them noted, it was an effective way of bypassing the facility's security. And because it practically lacked on-site human guards, anyone who found a way would be able to move in and out unopposed.

One of the light beams found the door and Frost immediately moved towards it, weapon partly raised and her free hand reaching for the handle. She pulled it open and quickly peeked left and right before stepping out. She whispered an all-clear as everyone stepped out and found themselves in an equally dim but expansive hallway, adorned with many doors that led to similar rooms.

Weaver brought up the local map on her device. "Okay. My readings indicate that this place goes pretty far down. And I mean, dozens of floors down below us. If they're using this as their main base, then we'll have a lot of places to search through."

"Where are we right now?" asked Nitroplus, who silently unsheathed her katana and her pistol in anticipation of combat around every corner.

Weaver paused as she squinted to read something on her gadget's display. "We're a couple floors underground, where the basic junk gets stored. Another couple floors below, that'll be where the real meat of the Azure Crypt will be."

"Meat! That reminds me!" proclaimed Raw Meat. Her sudden exclamation caused several of them to jump in surprise. "Oh, sorry! What I was about to say was that I could help find the rats for you! My senses tell me that they must be… that-a-way!" And with that, she began fluttering away down the end of the hallway.

Bell could only stare in disbelief. "... Really? Again? Will she ever stop rushing ahead like that? I get the feeling it's going to get her in big trouble in the future!"

"Perhaps," admitted Nitroplus, "But she has never failed to lead us to where they are."

"Oh well," said Blau before pointing dramatically to the direction Raw Meat rushed down to. "Let's stick to the plan and head on in, chums!" And with that, she ran off with everyone following, all weapons drawn and ready to lay waste to any rodent of unusual size.

As she ran, Nitroplus passed by more doors with labels she couldn't read clearly. As they turned a corner, she saw a similar hallway with more doors. More store rooms filled with who-knows-what. ' _Just what exactly were they storing down here?'_

Across the hallway, they saw Raw Meat who was strangely fluttering around frantically in place. "What's up? Besides the ceiling," joked Cog once they reached Raw Meat.

Raw Meat spun to face the others. "I need some help, meat! I can sense the rats below but this is in the way!" She turned to face something on the wall and the others followed her gaze, finding themselves staring at a set of metallic double-doors. Above lay the sign labeled "Cargo Lift".

"Alright, so what's the hold up?" griped BJ, "Let's get on already!"

"Hold on, hold on," interrupted Bell as she lightly nudged BJ aside. "I got this."

What BJ had seemed to ignore was the lift controls sitting right next to the doors. Bell approached the controls but rather than operating the buttons, she instead took her crowbar and wrenched a metallic panel open, exposing the myriad of wires, circuits, and patterns of LED lights that lay behind the scenes. Curious, Nitroplus watched as Bell went to work on the open circuitry.

' _Alright, let's see...'_ Bell ruminated as she studied the the inner workings. ' _First things first… This circuit ought to be hooked up to the alarm system, so...'_ Bell gripped a particular bundle of rubber wires and carefully yanked it out before immediately yanking out a tiny square piece of plastic that it was attached to. Instantly, the lights on the lift controls dimmed. ' _That takes care of the security. And I suppose they hooked the control power to it as well, just to be sure. Oh well. Now, these wires lead up to the actual controls, so these should be it.'_ She pulled out a series of colored vertical wires, carefully keeping track of each wire's head.

"Weaver? Come over here. I need to borrow your wrist gadget for a sec." Weaver only gave a second-long confused look as she reluctantly unclamped her device from her wrist. After handing it to Bell, she examined it for a panel opening, finding it at the back. She quickly pried it open and after quickly studying its wiring, pulled a cable loose (Weaver audibly cringed). Bell then took the loose wiring from the lift controls and stuck them into those of Weaver's device then turned it on.

The device's display flickered to life and Bell went about fiddling with the buttons and knobs to reconfigure its system until the display showed the simplistic picture of the lift and its orientation. "Alright, I should be in," announced Bell, "Just let me call the lift and we should be on our way."

"My device..." sobbed Weaver. The grievance was met by a slap in the back of Weaver's head that almost knocked her out. "Oh cry us a river!" complained BJ. "You sounded like a freaking henhouse the last time someone brought up the topic of horse armor or some shit."

A red blemish appeared on Weaver's cheeks. "...! Y-you take that back!"

"Guys, c'mon," groaned Bell as she tapped a button. "I called the lift to this floor. Also, I think I have an idea on where exactly the rats could be." Bell's statement brought everyone's attention as she adjusted Weaver's wrist computer to better show the display. Along with the lift controls and status, it showed an intricate isometric layout of the Azure Crypt populated by even more intricate web of colored strings.

"This place is meant to pretty much be a dumping ground, so the facility runs the bare minimum of power reserved for security and moving stuff around; that's what the colored lines represent. The power usage would be higher if this place were to scrap and recycle stuff but today shouldn't be one of those days. Therefore..." She paused to point at a certain location a few levels beneath them, where the complex web of power lines congregated into a bright orb, almost like the heart of an elaborate body that was the Azure Crypt.

"... whatever this is, it's not something that's meant to be there."

A muffled ding was heard behind the lift's metal doors before they opened up.

"That's our ride, let's go."

* * *

The lift creaked and squeaked as it descended, the bulky gears in each corner being the source of the sound as the lift steadily trundled along. The high-pitched sounds and the continued lack of lighting did nothing to put most of the Devs at ease.

"Bloody hell, they should lubricate the gears more," muttered Kreass, "At this rate, our element of surprise will be all for naught."

"Well I figured that shooting our way in and out would be more fun," mocked Grün, "Might as well spice things up."

"I'll bet a thousand credits that I'm gonna get the highest body count," bragged Cog as she gave her machine gun a reassuring pat.

"Oh you're on!" replied BJ as she brandished her rocket launcher.

"Quiet," mumbled Gelb. And as if on cue, the enclosed corridor that the lift was traveling through gave way to an open expanse space. From there, everyone could see the lower levels with their own eyes. Lights hanging from the ceiling several meters above the shadowed floor bathed the room in soft light that barely shone to the ground thanks to the rows and rows of tall warehouse shelves, all filled with machinery that were barely discernible. Amidst the rows of shelves lay unsorted heaps and conveyor belts but everywhere they looked, they could see scrap metal and dark blue hue that made up the shadow that lay everywhere. The room of the lower level was best described as an underground warehouse that seemed to be in perpetual twilight.

If Nitroplus didn't feel like she was visiting a graveyard, she certainly felt like she was now.

She couldn't help but gasp. "Woah, what is…?"

"What you're looking at is what the Azure Crypt is known for," replied Bell, "Azulerdam is renowned for its robotics and AI tech. But because they've been developed quite some time ago and is continually being developed, it was inevitable that they would run into the issue of having too many robots that would eventually become obsolete. So this is the government's answer: a place to throw away deactivated trash where no one would remember them." Bell already knew what to expect, being an engineer of herself as well. But even she shared some of the surprise that Nitroplus had.

The cargo lift continued to squeak as it reached the ground floor but continued onwards instead of stopping, shrouding the team once again in the enclosed corridor of the elevator shaft. "This isn't it?" asked Nitroplus.

"No. They should be further below. These warehouse go on for long ways underground."

"Gee-wiz, that squeakin's really buggin' the hell outta me!" complained Cog, "At this rate I'm gonna hear this in my nap for the rest of my life!"

"Yeah, I'm with you on that," agreed Weaver who had her arms crossed and her restored wrist device even tighter; she was in no mood for her precious property to be messed with.

Despite the current mood of the environment and the others, Blau was as giddy as a caffeine-addicted schoolgirl. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! I can't wait! Today, I, Blau, shall demonstrate to you my extraordinary combat prowess! Soon you will be dazzled and in awe!"

Near her, Frost merely gave out a forceful cough as she looked at Blau disapprovingly. But before anyone could say or do anything else, an explosion was heard and although it wasn't seen, it was close enough to stagger all of them.

"Contact! Below us!" yelled Frost as she pointed her rifle down at the bottom. Following her gaze, Bell squinted but saw nothing but the familiar heaps of scrap metal of the second underground warehouse. And in an instant, a small flash of light burst out in the darkness and something hurtled towards the lift at terrifying speed, rocking the lift with another explosion. A loud shrieking sound of grinding metal was heard and Bell felt a sudden urge of weightlessness as the lift plummeted down to the bottom.

"HOLY SHIIITTTTT!" shouted Cog as the lift screamed down through the floor and fell down into another warehouse below. The lift - and by extension everyone - crashed to the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.

Bell groaned in pain as she slowly sat up. As she coughed up some of the dust particles and adjusted her glasses, a hand reached her arm and hoisted her up. "Are you alright?" asked Nitroplus.

"Y-yeah," answered Bell, "What about the others?"

"I'm here!" chirped Raw Meat who fluttered above the dust. And almost right after, another rocket flashed just behind Raw Meat, causing her to squeak and fly down in cover. The rocket impacted the wall behind them and the explosion swept the dust aside, allowing Bell and Nitroplus to see a trio of rats, one of whom was gold and wielding a rocket launcher.

"... Oh you got to be kidding me..." muttered Bell as she scrambled behind something to hide behind. Nitroplus instead whipped up her pistol and fired in the direction of the rats, accomplishing nothing more than a near miss and causing the rats to reflexively duck. Sensing the opportunity, she rushed forward for melee, pouncing on the nearest purple rat and slicing it with her katana, collapsing with a familiar "Chuu…!". The other purple rat immediately tried to tackle Nitroplus to the ground, accomplishing nothing more than latching onto her and causing her to briefly stagger.

While Nitroplus wrestled with the purple rat, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the third one, a golden rat with the rocket launcher, had already recovered and was busy aiming it in her direction. Seeing the immense danger, she instinctively tried to shove the rat off her with all haste but as the rat pulled the trigger…

Shots were heard and the gold rat fell backwards. And immediately afterwards, a metallic vine wrapped itself around the rat Nitroplus was locked in melee with and pulled him away, tossing him into the air before the same vine uncoiled into a straight blade to cut the rat with. As Weaver reverted her sword back to its original form, she ran up to Nitroplus.

"You alright?"

"Yes. I am," Nitroplus answered, "And so is Bell. Raw Meat should also be fine too."

"Let's sure hope so." The two turned to see Frost crouched over the gold rat she shot earlier. Having confirmed the kill, she stood up and looked around. "Anyone else still with us?"

A series of confirmations from everybody else rang out. While caught off guard by the ambush, every Dev was accounted for. The cargo lift they had arrived down on was nothing but scrap, it and the rails above wrecked by rockets. Their element of surprise and exit was lost, and now they had no choice but to push further into the rat nest. An easy retreat was no longer an option.

More rat voices echoed in the dark warehouse, calling for battle and reinforcements. Everyone - Bell, Cog, Nitroplus, Weaver, BJ, SPARK, Kreass, Gelb, Frost, Grün, and Blau - faced the direction of the sound, weapons at the ready and striding tall.

Bell gazed towards the seemingly unending shroud as she resought her bearings, then she realized something. "The power anomaly should be straight ahead, on the opposite side of this warehouse," she announced.

"Then our choice is clear," added Nitroplus. And with that, nothing more had to be said as the goddesses of the PC Continent, accompanied by a fellow vigilante and a sentient slab of meat, sallied forth to meet the rat's assault.

* * *

A launched rocket shot through the air, passing between a pair of heavy-duty shelves before being caught in BJ's grip. "HA! You call that a rocket launcher? _This_ is a rocket launcher!" And with that, she promptly crushed the rocket into defunct scrap, raised her own rocket launcher, and returned fire with a quick burst. Beside her was Frost, darting between whatever cover she could find and firing her assault rifle from safety, occasionally throwing grenades that either exploded or stunned any unfortunate rat, and Cog whose gun was seemingly blazing away non-stop thanks to Frost's ammo pouch, spraying gunfire with almost reckless abandon and punching holes in any place that dared harbored a rat.

Nitroplus struck down another rat as it let out a cry. Another nearby rat attempted to avenge his fallen comrade by leaping up at her, lead pipe overhead before he was intercepted by bullets midair and fell harmlessly down to earth. Nitroplus gave a quick nod to Bell and her turret guns - of which there was now four - before turning back to the task at hand. A crossbow bolt flew overhead, ensnaring a group of rats in a web of electric arcs before they were erased by an explosion.

A bright red narrow beam cut across in front of her, sniping a rocket-launcher armed rat from his perch. Nitroplus's sight was then met with Blau jumping in front of her, jabbing and cutting with her antique fantasy setting-like sword while simultaneously sniping far away rats with her futuristic-looking laser pistol. And despite the chaos, despite the explosions, gunfire, and mayhem, Blau somehow had the disposition to prance around as if she was dancing. In fact, as far was Nitroplus was concerned, Blau was dancing.

"Blau, what're you doing? This is supposed to be a fight!"

"Aw, lighten up, Nitry!" pouted Blau who took the time to twirl, "Oh hey, we're both using the sword-and-gun combo! This is so awesome, it's like we're two peas in a pod!" A gold rat attempted to tackle Blau with her back turned, only for Blau to hop to the side to twirl again, dodging the rat's attack and slashing the rat at the same time. "Oh ho ho! There's no way such lowly hooligan could ever possibly best the one and only Blau!"

Blau decided to finally stop twirling just in time for a group of rat to appear. "Oh right! I almost forgot! It's that time of the day again!" And before Nitroplus could even ask or react to the new danger, Blau whipped her pistol to her side and with flashes of brilliant red light, all of the rats collapsed right where they once stood.

As Nitroplus blinked, comprehending what she just witnessed, Blau twirled the pistol and blew (imaginary) smoke from the barrel. "Play of the game: me!"

' _I… I can't tell if I should really take her seriously or not...'_ wondered Nitroplus as she stared at Blau going so far as to pose for a selfie.

A "thud" was heard and Nitroplus spun around to the sight of a rat with a crossbow bolt stuck to his rear falling over, causing nearby scrap metal and machinery to collapse. She gave a quick thumbs-up to SPARK, who merely blushed and shied away before returning to the fight. Right now, Kreass and Gelb were working from the rear, directing the aim of their fellow Devs (provided they were willing to listen) while Cog and BJ pushed the offensive, shooting and blowing their way through the rats.

As she charged back into battle, Nitroplus was joined by Frost. "You good?" she asked. Nitroplus nodded but out of nowhere, the ground trembled and a van-sized tank rolled over from behind, crushing the scrap heap as it rolled over and almost crushing the two in the process. Nitroplus and Frost scrambled out of the way of the squadron of miniature tanks as their twin cannons thundered away.

"Ha! Line 'em up and knock 'em down! I could do this all day!" boasted Grün from the rear, with another lit cigar in hand and with her wheelchair having seemingly grown bigger and planted to the ground, with some kind of construction crane and radar dish hanging over the chair and a pair of miniature garages at her side, a bulky war tank rolling through the garage gates every few seconds. Sometimes, a miniature blimp with a cartoon shark face emerged from the top to slowly make its way to the fight to drop bombs.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept the blue-on-blue to a minimum!" hollered Frost, "Last I want is to be fragged by my own guys!"

"Screw you, asswipe!" shouted Grün who responded by flipping the bird at her direction. "I ain't your general!"

"Come on, let's go," urged Nitroplus. Frost merely nodded without a word but once the two joined the fight near the front, whatever animosity she had was seemingly forgotten. Though to be fair, it was easy to forget such things in the chaos of battle. Every few seconds, an explosion, gunfire, or flurry of melee combat erupted every few seconds, and at the same time a rat or group of rats would meet their end. Fire, sword, bombs, and bullets filled the interior of the Azure Crypt's lower level warehouse in a lethal maelstrom. Despite having the drop on the Devs, the rats eventually realized that this battle could only end with one outcome.

Soon, the din of battle began to die down. One of the last rats left alive just received a back-breaker from BJ before being tossed aside. Now, there remained only one rat, his gold fur covered in a light layer of soot, as his will to fight had long evaporated in the face of the overwhelming power his foes possessed. "C-c-chu, why has our God abandoned us…?"

"Eh, you'll meet him soon and keep him company," replied BJ before she backhanded the gold rat into a shelf, knocking it over and spilling its contents with a deafening crash.

The battle was finally over, and Nitroplus finally found time to breathe. Looking back to where they had entered, she saw that what was once a semi-orderly room for indefinite storage had become an unrecognizable junkyard, with the scrap metal and machinery making an even bigger mess than before. Noticing a heavy-duty shelf that had somehow remained intact, she could finally take a look at something that was on her mind since arriving at the lower levels.

Now that she and the Devs were no longer in any immediate threat, Nitroplus could take a close look at what the Azure Crypt contained. As she approached the shelf, she noticed that the machinery was actually tall, about as tall as a human being could be. In fact, as she continued to observe, the machinery in fact did resemble a human being, at least in general shape. She intuitively spotted what was definitely the "head" which seemed to only stare straight ahead in an ominous stare despite lacking obvious eyes. From top to bottom, the machine was pretty much a series of slender blocks arranged in the shape of a person. As Nitroplus glanced to the side, she saw the same machines lined up neatly on the shelf, all of them standing in silent attention while some of their brethren lied in messy heaps on the ground as casualties of the battle that had just raged before.

"Oh, those? That's pretty much what's been down here for quite a long time." Nitroplus turned to see Bell resting on what empty spot she found on the conveyor belt, weariness evident on her face as she wiped the sweat and dirt off her brow. "Those are Azulerdam's military robots, the so-called Mechanically Empowered Combat Units, or MECU. Judging from here, they look like model A's, the very first model. Though they could be model B's."

Nitroplus became concerned. "And they simply dumped them here?"

Bell shrugged. "Well, they got to put them somewhere, especially when their roboticists come up with something better. But I'm pretty sure they would try to disassemble them and recycle their parts. That's what I would do, but I don't work for the Azulerdam government."

Nitroplus remained uneasy about them - autonomous weapons built for war only to face neglect and thrown away like toys. And with the presence of rats in what was supposed to be a secure government facility, she was getting a bad feeling about everything. But Raw Meat's arrival put those thoughts on hold as she fluttered about.

"Nitroplus! Bell! Their boss shouldn't be far away now! Their main base should just be up ahead! Every meat is anxious to go!"

Despite Raw Meat's cheerful report, Bell could only sigh as she got up. Behind her, everyone gathered around a set of hangar doors on the far end of the warehouse, directly across the lift they came down on. As Bell mentally recalled, another section of the warehouse - and the heart of the rat base - lay behind those metallic doors. One more thing they all needed to do before Bell could finally return to her home and her normal life. All they had to do was open those doors.

' _No rest for the wicked, huh? Darn it...'_ And with another sigh, Bell, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat made their way to the rest.

* * *

The metal hangar doors that had remained intact and shut for weeks, if not months, had suddenly buckled and split open under BJ's strength. Immediately, she, Cog, and Frost rushed in prepared for a fight with everyone else flooding in, prepared to fight more rats, destroy their base, and confront the boss (not necessarily in that order) except…

"... Room's clear," declared Frost as everyone looked around, shocked to be met with silence instead of rats. The Devs gingerly made their way inside, keeping their guard up against anything that could present a threat. But besides desks, computers, TV screens, tools, crates, and garage doors that lay scattered around the otherwise empty room, there was nothing.

"Was… was that everything they had?" inquired Cog, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Maybe?" Weaver replied as she was just as confused as Cog. "This is their last major base after all. Perhaps they were making their last stand."

"Regardless of what tactic they chose, the fact is that we have not seen their leader," said Kreass. Her frown and burrowed frow intensified. "If this truly is their headquarters, then where are the counterfeit merchandise? Where are their tools?"

Kreass turned to Raw Meat, glaring for an explanation. Despite her perpetual smiley face, it was clear that Raw Meat was nervous. "I'm certain this is it. This place reeks of rats, meat!"

Grün merely surveyed the empty room, puffing out a smoke before grinding the tip of her spent cigar on one of the vacant computers. "Huh. Real tough guys, all of 'em, huh?"

Bell looked around, unsure of the empty room. The rats were here, but like what Kress said, where was their leader? She certainly doesn't remember seeing him anywhere in the last battle. And judging by the plethora of computers and crates, she could imagine the rats using the room as their base. But what about the crates of pirated games? And what about the power anomaly…?

She noticed a series of black cables that seemed to hang from the ceiling and the walls like jungle vines. As Bell continued to look, the cables snaked along the ground leading to the various computers around the room. But most of them pointed towards a certain direction. Following the cable, her eyes rested upon what looked like a sophisticated computer at the center of the room, sporting dual monitors and a radio. As Bell noted, such features were not seen anywhere else in the room, which led her to believe that whatever it was used for, it was important.

More importantly, all the black cables wound up to the computer. That peculiar computer was the power anomaly.

Intrigued, Bell approached the computer. The displays were blank and the keyboard was missing for whatever reason but the computer quietly hummed with power. ' _The computer's on…? Well, if this is as important as I think it is, then this might have something of use for us...'_

But before Bell had the chance to even touch the computer, all the screens and monitors in the room flickered on one-by-one in very quick succession. Bell's sight was greeted to the sight of a slender figure lounging on a chair in what looked to be a small blank room, his business suit impeccably groomed with his fingers intertwined in front of him. And once the surprise wore off, everyone instantly recognized who he was.

"So you're the ones who have been quite a thorn on our side," purred Horyuchu, his soft but deep voice amplified by the multitude of speakers from the screens that surrounded the Devs. "The merry band of heretics who brought it upon themselves to defy our work, chu."

Nitroplus eyed the central computer that Bell identified as the source of the power anomaly, gently pushing her aside to confront the baleful eyes of the rat boss. "Where are you?" she demanded, accentuating each word with killing intent.

"Far from where you expected to find me," replied Horyuchu as though he was reciting a script. "Thanks to you, my operations here cannot continue, chu. But so long as you do not catch me or our work, you have not yet won. And for long as you fail to win, chu, it is a victory for our organization."

BJ grabbed a monitor nearest to her and casually tore it off its mount, sending sparks from the torn cables before tossing it over her shoulder. "Blah blah blah, enough with the stupid monologuing crap. Where is he?"

"Hold on. Lemme try to trace back the signal," called Weaver as she brought up her device. She punched in some keys and waited for a response. However, the device answered with an inconclusive result.

All around them, on the monitors, Horyuchu merely rolled his eyes. "Chu, did you not think I prepared for this before leaving? I ensured that this transmission would be untraceable. And even if you did find out where me and my fellow rats are..." He paused as he leaned in and faced them all with a malicious glare. "... You won't be around to make good on the information."

On-screen, a gold rat approached Horyuchu and kneed, presenting a palm-sized gray controller adorned with a jerry-rigged antenna rod. He grabbed it and the rat dismissed himself from the scene, and as Horyuchu turned to face them again, his tone changed to that of sadistic pleasure.

"Farewell, interlopers. And may the Diety of Sin bless you."

And with that, the last thing the screens showed before the transmission was cut off was his thumb gently pressing against a button. No more did a second of tense silence follow before low rumbling sounds echoed in sequence, as though a giant was stomping around the underground facility. A loud explosion erupted from the ceiling and and a torn metal beam collapsed to the ground, smashing the computer right in front of Bell and Nitroplus which sent them careening back. Everywhere, dust and crumbling debris sprinkled from the ceiling as the whole place shook with the force of an earthquake.

"N-n-n-n-not good NOT GOOD!" wailed SPARK who trembled in shock, unable to move.

"Oh poo! I can't believe he'd stoop so low as to pull the red carpet from beneath us like this!" pouted Blau, seemingly oblivious to the catastrophic situation they were in. Her complaint was met with a hard prod on her back, courtesy of Kreass.

"Stuff it, you bloated buffoon! We need to evacuate, _now_!" She pointed to the open doors they entered through previously and dashed towards it. "You heard the lady! Double-time it!" barked Frost who followed after, hoisting a still-shocked SPARK onto her shoulders as everyone scrambled to the exit, dodging falling debris as they went.

The situation outside the room was no better: the hidden explosives had caused huge cracks to form in the ceiling and walls, sending large hunks of metal and rock falling to earth. Occasionally, the debris would smash the scrap parts, tossing them up into the air like geysers of steel, or even on whatever storage shelf that continued to stand, tipping them over like dominos.

In the middle of the mayhem, everyone stopped to desperately looked around for a way out, hoping to spot a hopeful exit in the low light and collapsing room. Bell gazed at the opposite end of the warehouse, spotting the mangled remains of the service lift. ' _Argh, of course it won't help us! Okay, okay… where where where?'_

"Meat! Over there! I see a huge garage door!" All heads perked up at Raw Meat's voice and searched for what she saw. Eventually, Nitroplus called it out and pointed to a closed shutter gate on the far side of the room. With the ceiling raining on them and the war-torn landscape of their last battle, the distance to their salvation seemed daunting. But they had no other choice. The Azure Crypt was practically a technological graveyard - the last thing anyone wanted was for it to be their grave.

"Come on, let's go!" Everyone made a mad dash, scrambling over or around the debris from the crumbling ceiling or the ruins of their last battle. But as they made their first few steps in struggling to make their exit, another sound began to inject itself into the situation. Despite the roaring thunder of crumbling walls and falling rubble, a noticeable clamor of clanking metal could be heard. And it was somewhere quite close to the Devs.

The piles of metal and junk began shifting, not from the collapsing room, but from something within as everyone could see as something clambered up out of the mess. Its form was noticeably human, but its jerky movements proved anything but. All around the Devs, identical forms were either rising out from the rubble or simply marching off the storage shelves. And while their movements spooked Nitroplus, their appearance was a dead give-away to what they were.

The warehouse's contents of robotic MECU A's had all woken up and arisen, each of them some macabre combination of rust, dust, and missing parts. The large door that was to be their exit opened up to reveal dozens more making their way to the warehouse, completely oblivious to the impending destruction of the facility they were in.

The reactivated MECU A in front of the Devs raised its head to stare at the Devs with unrecognizable eyes and simultaneously, so did the others. In that instant, its circuitry - despite sitting unused for years - still carried its visual information to the core within milliseconds, awaiting confirmation as dictated by its simple combat programming. And as they had recently been tampered with by the rats who found a way to leave their enemies a parting gift before abandoning the base, the machine brain replied with one single command that all the MECUs obeyed as though it was their duty since the day they rolled off the assembly lines.

"Hostile sighted. Extermination protocols engaged," they chanted in monotone, distorted voices.

And as the facility continued to fall around them and as the robots raised their assorted weapons at the Devs caught in the rat's trap, only one thought managed to cross Bell's mind.

' _... I'm really starting to hate today.'_

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: MECU *****  
Acronym for Mechanically Empowered Combat Unit, the term applies for all automatons designed and constructed in Azulerdam with the express purpose of protecting the nation and its interests. All MECU (commonly pronounced as "mecku") can exist in many shapes, sizes, and capabilities; a common trait that they all possess is their simple programming as it was deemed that more sophisticated and intelligent AI would increase the likelihood of them achieving sentience and rebelling or disobeying orders.

The first two models introduced are the A and B models. While they are physically identical, the main differences lie within their loadout: the A models are armed with standard issue assault rifles or machine guns while the B models are armed with rocket launchers for heavily-armored targets. In regards to tactics, the two models fight very similarly although the MECU As are more commonly seen while MECU Bs are deployed in lesser numbers and reserved for more limited situations.

Ever since the A and B models, the nation of Azulerdam continues to develop and produce newer versions of their MECU robots to this very day.  
***** End of Entry *****


	16. Chapter 15: Battle Boss Part 1

**Chapter 15: Battle Boss Part 1**

The rumbling of the collapsing underground facilities took a backseat to the more immediate thundering of gunfire from both sides. Without conscious thought, Bell ducked behind what durable cover she could find the split-second before bullets starts whizzing over her head in two directions. At this rate, she wasn't sure what to be more concerned about: the enemy robots, the falling room, or the fact that she just struck her funny bone when she ducked for cover among the rigid metal junk.

"... I'm _really_ starting to hate today!"

Someone shouted something and everyone who wasn't a killer robot worthy of being recycled into more worthy combat robots leaped to cover. Bell was met with Cog who did a quick powerslide to her side, her machine gun already in hand as she sprayed all over the general direction of the enemy MECUs. "C'mon, Bell! Help us out 'ere!"

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Bell tossed her turrets out in the open before ducking back behind cover. "Well, excuse me if I'm apparently the only one to realize how we're in deep… _crap_ that is our current situation!" she argued. Cog flinched as a couple bullets struck a metal beam near her before she sprayed a burst in retaliation. "Well, we're gonna be in much deeper crap if ya sit there lazin' around on her butt! In fact, we're gonna be so deep that crap itself is gonna have to look down on us -"

"SHUT UP COG!" A deafening shout from Weaver knocked Cog and Bell off their feet as well as blowing back all the loose debris and the robots that were shooting at them. Having gained a brief reprieve, everyone ran to an open garage door as much as they could until the MECUs not already blown apart had begun to rise again. One of the automatons first on their feet called out a command as it aimed its assault rifle at the Devs. "Terminate meat-bags," it uttered in a emotionless voice.

"Roger roger," another called in the exact same voice.

Once it said what it had to say, the robot immediately exploded into a shower of scrap metal and bolts. Smoke whiffed out of BJ's rocket launcher as she laughed. "Part robot. Part killer. _All dead_!" By now more robots marched into the fray, continually oblivious to the ceiling and walls that threatened to fall, some even falling victim to boulders that were part of the ceiling. Despite this, they moved into battle positions and began attacking the Devs.

"Oh, for…!" cursed Kreass as she ducked to the side to avoid the incoming bullets. "Blast this! We need to push forward with all haste before they bury us alive!"

"Nooo, really?" mocked Grün who hid behind an overturned storage shelf as she erected as a mini-war factory to crank out as many tanks as it could summon. "If it weren't for your insight, none of us would've known that! Gee, thanks general!"

Despite having to fight their way out, Kreass took the time to throw a loose brick at Grün's direction before sidestepping out of harm's way from a MECU. Said MECU realigned its aim just in time to be cut down by slashes from Nitroplus's katana. As the slain robot collapsed limply, Nitroplus was greeted to the sight of another squad arriving, having been alerted to her presence. For every robot that fell, it seemed that more came to take its place. Every advance was minimal, every victory small, and every skirmish a drawn-out battle.

' _Oh crap…!'_ Nitroplus grunted as she dived aside from the downpour of bullets, riddling the junk scrap behind her into metallic swiss cheese. Having all missed their target and lost direct line of sight, the robots reevaluated the situation and once a solution was chosen, one of their own was given the task of applying that solution. And like everything they did, it was a permanent one.

"Priming fragmentation grenade." From behind her piece of cover, Nitroplus could see all but one of the MECUs stepping aside and seeking other targets while a lone member went through the mechanical motions of readying a grenade. She cursed as the one robot prepared to throw until it suddenly froze, a crystal-like aura surrounding the robot. But while the robot couldn't move, time didn't stop as the primed grenade exploded in its hand, sending it and all nearby robots to the scrap heap.

Baffled, Nitroplus wasn't what had just happened. "And another contender for 'Play of The Game', me!" Out of nowhere, Nitroplus found Blau right next to her, her mood somehow jovial despite the situation. "I'll give you a little credit for the assist. You can thank me later!"

Nitroplus would afford to stand staring at Blau in disbelief were it not for the fact that the remaining robots became aware of their presence. But despite their numbers, they were being either shot, slashed, or blown to pieces from the combined firepower of the other Devs.

A single MECU A positioned itself just short of the front lines (an ill-defined one thanks to the ever-crumbling underground room). Like the others, it ignored the blatant evidence of the room collapsing itself and obeyed its singular directive. It observed as its targets fought and advanced towards them with variety of weapons. One of its kin right next to it suddenly exploded and as it wheeled around to determine the probable cause, a quick flash made short work of it, granting it the same fate that befell the previous robot. On the other side of the battle, BJ smirked as she watched the former robot become something more akin to a metallic pinata, sending parts and inner workings everywhere.

"Hell yeah! I must be what, dominating or something? I reckon I'm on a real killing spree!" she bragged to no one in particular as she charged forward, blasting at anything that resembled a robot with reckless abandon. With each explosion, another robot bit the dust and despite the dire straits they were all in, she couldn't help but crack a toothy grin.

Another MECU exploded courtesy of her rocket launcher. "Double kill!" Another rocket, another explosion. "Triple kill! Multi-kill! Rampage! Unstoppable!" She paused to quickly dodge a swift punch from a MECU that dared to manage to sneak up to her unexploded, retaliating with a punch of her own that resulted in her fist boring clean through the robot's head. As BJ pulled her hand from the hollowed-out head, a crossbow bolt zipped past her head, striking a dismembered robot before melting it into slag thanks to acid. SPARK rushed to load another bolt, fumbling it in her hands until a concrete slab slammed right next to her, eliciting a panicked squeal as she scrambled away.

Likewise, another loose part of the ceiling fell on top of one of Bell's sentry guns, bringing out a frustrated sigh from its owner. But before Bell spent another split-second dawdling in her exasperation, she found herself suddenly yanked away and shoved behind the same debris as another fell right where she stood a second ago. Bell looked up to see Gelb, her expression still retaining its neutral state as she merely stared blankly at Bell before turning her attention back to the battle, leaving behind a grumbling and still-annoyed Bell.

A loud explosion was felt, jolting Bell back into action as she cautiously peeked over the debris. The passageway that would be their escape was still unobstructed, which Bell was thankful for. But what she wasn't thankful for was the fact that another squad of robots strolling out into the open in formation to accompany their autonomous brethren that still remained in the fight to hold back the Devs. And as she saw that they were armed with rocket launchers, Bell wasn't feeling very thankful right now.

"Meat, it's the one with rockets!" Bell eyed the MECU Bs as they took in the current hectic battlefield and immediately raised their tubular instruments of destruction as they quickly sought out targets. Bell quickly ducked back down and starting scooting away, hoping that none of them have noticed and deemed her worthy of a rocket. Not a second later did a rocket come shrieking overhead, blowing away a crumbling support structure.

Bell crawled as low as she could, finding herself dodging falling debris more than enemy fire. Another explosion was heard; from who that came from, she didn't know. Gelb was close behind, seemingly emulating Bell's plan but while continually peppering the robots with opportunistic shots.

"Focus your attacks on the rocket automatons!" Kreass's half-order half-demand shout was heard. Needless to say, nobody needed a verbal warning to already know that the B models were the bigger threat. Everyone made concerted effort to evade the rockets, but the missed shots only resulted in further deteriorating the room they were in.

Two bullets from Nitroplus's pistol ricocheted off the shoulder of a MECU B, which responded swiftly by letting loose a rocket. Nitroplus rolled under just in time but found that the robot had already reloaded, only for it's firing arm to be blown off by Cog's machine gun before the rest of the robot met its end when Cog threw her gun at it. As Cog materialized another bulky machine gun, she turned to Nitroplus and cracked a cheeky grin.

"One mustn't be 'fraid to dream a bit bigger, darlin'!" And Cog finished it with a girly salute, like the kind you'd see from anime involving stereotypical genki girls (except without automatic weapons). Cog's attempt at a one-liner was met with a bizarre look from Nitroplus. So bizarre and out of place that even the world seemed aware of it as a fist-sized slab of concrete smacked on top of Cog's head, causing her to squawk.

Meanwhile, Frost tossed a frag grenade at a MECU B who had been guarded by its few remaining gun-toting counterparts. The resulting bang sent them tumbling over to the ground where they remained. "There's our window. We're oscar mike!" Frost's call was ultimately redundant as everyone immediately made a rush to the large door, not caring about anything other than escaping before they could be crushed.

Immediately past the door, the Devs found themselves in a wide hallway that only funneled them in one direction. At the end, there lay another similar door, and after its swift opening courtesy of BJ, they found themselves in another large crumbling storeroom.

"... Oh you gotta be burnin' my bacon right now! I thought tha' was supposed to be our exit!" complained Cog who was still massaging her bruise on her head. Like the room they had just left, its state of increasing disrepair was exacerbated by the presence of more MECU robots. Like zombies acting in synch, they all turned their heads to address the Devs' presence.

"There's more of them! But where's the way out?"

"Just - just find any door that'll get us somewhere else!" shouted Bell. She and others ducked to cover as all participants prepared for battle - one of simple extermination for the reprogrammed robots and one of desperation for the Devs. Once again, another lair of the Azure Crypt became a melee of gunfire, blades, and explosions that all took place while the surroundings continually took its toll.

A stray rocket from a robot sent SPARK hurtling through the air, ending with her sliding on the rough surface. Shaken but alive, she awkwardly raised her head as she fumbled her thick glasses back in place. A hand from behind grabbed her by the shirt's collar and hoisted her back on her feet. "You're good! Get back on your feet!" barked Frost as she let loose a round from her rifle's underbarreled launcher before taking cover, a move which was quickly mimicked by SPARK.

"Press the attack no matter what!" shouted Kreass as her head darted left and right, trying to keep track of where everything was and what was happening. "Bell! Position your contraptions further ahead whenever possible! You two, stay on the offense with your attacks! Blau, cease your ridiculous upmanship and support the flank! And you -" A brief shadow fell upon Kreass and noticing this, glanced up just in time to see a piece of falling debris get batted aside by Weaver's ever-morphing sword. Kreass flinched at the close call but then she scowled upon realizing that her concentration was interrupted. She quickly recomposed herself and resumed issuing commands, now a little more careful with her surroundings.

Off to Kreass's side, Weaver could only scoff as she went back to the fray. "Gee, no 'thank you'? That's gotta be negative karma right there..." Any further complaint was was left unfinished as Weaver felt a foot land and hop off of her head. "Hey!"

"Oh, relax!" Blau called as she landed among the room's rubble after using Weaver's head as a stepping stone. "I just used you to help me score more; that's teamwork!" As she went about alternating between blasting away with her laser pistol and conjuring magical attacks with her sword (while simultaneously showing off flashy moves), a bright ruby beam cut through the air, slicing a robot in half before it spectacularly exploded. From behind, a black obelisk-like structure towered over Grün and her mini war factories, its tip lighting up in blood-red before shooting out another crimson laser beam. As Grün's base defenses went to work, Blau could only feel her pride being wounded.

"Hey, you're using a building for your laser rather than an actual weapon! That's not fair!"

"Takes one to know one, eh?" Grün callously called back. "Why don't you go construct additional crap so you can get on my level?" A duo of rockets sailed past over her war tanks and struck Grün's obelisk. Tracing the rockets' origin, she glared at a pair of MECU Bs that dared to open fire. From her wheelchair, she motioned for her units to attack, but as one of her tanks moved, the floor collapsed like a sink-hole, rendering the tank stuck with its rear end sticking up. Further attempts to retaliate against the rocket-armed robots were hampered by their protective guardians as well as the environment.

From elsewhere, Gelb spied the rocket-armed robots from her cover. She saw as they let loose another round, denting the armor of Grün's tanks. One of her bomber blimps crawled through the air towards the robots before a loose slab from the ceiling fell on top, causing it to pop like a balloon. Others tried to make their way in taking them out, but their attempts fell short thanks to heavy gunfire that prevented them from pushing forward. Seeing this, Gelb looked around for a certain Dev and after spotting her, she carefully made her way, making sure to stay low and behind cover so as to avoid the crossfire.

From where she was, Cog was about to pop out to shoot before a storm of bullets almost grazed her, forcing her back down before she could even see where they came from, let alone capture a glimpse of anything. Cursing, she failed to notice Gelb crawling to her side until she tugged her overalls.

Cog flinched in surprise. "What the - ! What're ya doin' here, Gelly?"

"Follow me," Gelb muttered as she now tugged on Cog's shoulder. Sighing exasperatedly, Cog could only crawl after Gelb who had some kind of plan in mind. But as they continued to crawl low from cover to cover, Cog couldn't help but feel that something was a little off.

"Hey, we actually gonna fight or what? I didn't bring me no machine guns just to sneak 'round like a freakin' snake!"

Gelb merely looked at with a look of slight impatience. "Just follow me," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the cacophony of battle. "This'll be a simple plan. Just stay low and don't let them notice us."

* * *

A proverbial hail of bullets and rocket fire kept a group of Devs glued behind a rapidly-deteriorating conveyor. Huddled alongside Bell, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, Blau, and Weaver, BJ could only gnash her teeth in frustration as she crouched behind safety. "Arrrgh, c'mon! Are we really gonna do this?!"

A bullet whizzed by, knocking out a chip of the large machinery right above Weaver's head. "Yes, yes we are!" she complained as she winced. "No one is in a good mind to want to take a rocket to the face! Not even the crazy ones!"

"So what? You've never had a rocket hit you in the face?"

As Weaver and BJ bickered, Bell found herself huddled close to Nitroplus, Raw Meat, and Blau - much to her chagrin. Specifically, she found herself dealing with the latter's rowdy complaints about the situation.

"Oh darn it! I can't believe that they would be so low as to resort to cheap tactics such as simply because I, Blau, happen to be on this team! I will certainly find a method to vanquish them and make sure they are thoroughly punished for their underhanded ways!"

Bell could only sigh in frustration with having to hear Blau's egocentric grievances. "Hey, Blau, I think they're here for you, so here's an idea: why don't you go attract their attention while we get something done?"

Her "suggestion" was met with a huff from Blau. "Ugh! What do you think I am, stupid? Such novice mistake is beneath me, isn't that right Nitry?" she asked as she glanced down at Nitroplus and Raw Meat who, during this whole time, were nestled tightly in Blau's arms from behind. In her seemingly all-too affectionate embrace, Nitroplus could only return an awkward reply.

"Um… yes?" Before this could continue, an explosion rocked the machinery they were hiding behind. Any second now, their cover would give way and soon they would be left exposed. Grün's tanks and the others grouped nearby could only do little to directly aid them thanks to the robots' rockets. As Bell was left only to contemplate their limited options and prospects, she started to wish that she at least had Cog around rather than deal with…

' _Wait, where the heck is she?'_ she realized as she noticed the apparent lack of her friend (as well as loud gunfire and explosions).

She glanced around, but couldn't see where Cog was. Bell hadn't been keeping a precise track, but she was close by last time she remembered. And there was no way she could've been done in at this stage - the thought crossed her mind for an instant. No, Bell knew Cog had to be around somewhere, she had to. But where was she?

Another explosion erupted in the room, this time from the ceiling, sending gobs of dust down as prelude to another loose chunk of ceiling. Seeing this, Bell quickly got down and carefully rolled under the conveyor. Shots rang out and another trickle of dust trickled from where she was previously, but nothing came of it. Safe from the prospect of head injury, Bell found herself sprawled underneath the same machinery she had taken cover behind with no room to move but along the ground.

More bullets rocked the machinery and from where she was, Bell could see small snippets of the robots who had hunkered down in a strong position. Thankfully, they couldn't see her, but if Bell wanted to contribute to the fight, she would have to expose herself to their weapons.

' _Well, I shouldn't complain about them not shooting at me, but...'_ The floor and the machinery above shuddered from another blast. ' _... Nevermind, I got something new to complain about.'_

Then, from the narrow view she had, Bell thought she saw something hurtle overhead in an arc, coming from behind the robots. In the middle of combat, none of them noticed it until a series of explosions occurred where they stood, silencing the rockets and scattering those just outside the blast. Then Bell heard a familiar sound of machine gun fire.

' _About time!'_ Bell hurriedly crawled out of from beneath the conveyor to see the remaining robots picked off from both sides, and across from her was Cog and Gelb spraying lead onto the robots. On some occasions, Cog would pull out more of her explosives to toss at the MECU bots. The sudden surprise and loss of their defensive position drove the surviving robots back away from the Devs.

Bell ran up to Cog and Gelb, relief and surprise on her face. "Cog! What took you so long?"

"Gelly here wanted me for some 'ol flankin' action like she said. Thought it was gonna be dull stuff, but when it happened? Oh it felt sweeter than corn cob dipped in honey!" Despite Cog's seeming enthusiasm, Gelb simply jogged past her and Bell to join the others as they regrouped.

"Nice work there," Frost congratulated with a light tap on Gelb's shoulder. Rather than speak, Gelb settled with glancing to the side; her expression was still neutral but judging by the slight tinge of red on her cheeks, Frost could tell that Gelb appreciated it. But further congratulations and compliments could wait - not until they were safe.

"Meat! It looks like the robots are retreating somewhere!" All eyes cast to follow the reeling robot army, the ones that were still fully intact moved briskly deeper into the warehouse. During the retreat, a crumbling column fell, flattening a shelf and its contents. But behind it lay…

"... Another door?" Though the dim light obscured the writing, the Devs could see that a partially faded sign lay over the large shutter door that was closed. Yet, the surviving robots all made their way towards it, as though it was important.

"That had better be the exit!" shouted Kreass as she twirled a fresh flintlock pistol in her hand.

"U-um, I reckon a, uh, 99% chance that it is!" squealed SPARK as more of the ceiling cracked and buckled over their heads.

"Then let's take it!" announced Nitroplus as she and Raw Meat charged ahead. And without another word or conflicting feeling, the rest followed weapons drawn. The remaining MECUs, upon witnessing their enemy charging towards them with all haste and with every intention to fight their way to freedom, regrouped and raised their weapons in return.

The one closest to Nitroplus swiftly raised its rifle only for her to come in low and sweep it off its feet with her katana before being stabbed. Another robot turned to face her but a crossbow bolt struck its weapon, knocking its aim off before being finished off by an explosion. Bullets, explosives, and other attacks were quickly exchanged on both sides as Nitroplus, BJ, and Weaver tried to fight their way through to the exit as they were at the very front of the Devs' assault.

"Almost there!" called Weaver as she eyed the shut passageway that was at least a dozen meters ahead, the faded sign now clearly stating "MAINTENANCE". "Almost home sweet home at this rate!"

In the middle of the melee, BJ bashed a MECU A aside to pieces before hoisting another one by its head with her other hand and then slamming it down to the ground. "Ah, and it was just startin' to get good!" she laughed, even as a loose piece of scrap metal bonked her on the head. Taking no notice, she dished out a dropkick to another robot before curbstomping its head out of existence.

"Our exit won't be any good if it's closed!" Nitroplus loudly pointed out as she tried to pull her katana out of a partially bisected robot, to little avail. "Yeah, yeah! I got it!" hollered BJ as she made a mad dash to the garage door whilst blasting apart any robot that was unfortunate enough to be in her way or sight.

She skidded to a stop in front of the closed shutters then reached her hand down to the handle at the bottom. "Open sesame!" she declared as she wrenched the shutters up with such force that she almost ripped the handles off. She felt slight tremors as the door squeaked and creaked open but BJ passed it off as explosions caused by Cog and Grün; after all, stuff like that tends to be a common occurrence. The shutter doors were raised enough for her to grab onto the bottom with her other hand then she thrusted it upwards, exposing the exit.

"Alright! It ain't no free car or goat but at least it's an exit! Now get your rears in gear and -" BJ's words trailed off as she turned towards what should've been an open concrete passageway and instead found herself staring at a hulking grey-metal heap of angular boxes that towered over her, almost brushing the ceiling of the passageway it was in.

More importantly, the hulking metal mass was seemingly hostile. It buckled forward and the next thing BJ knew, she was sailing over everyone else's heads before coming to a rough landing. Grunting, she immediately glanced up and found out that the hulking mass of metal was in fact, something entirely different.

As ground trembled with each step of the new enemy, it stepped out into the crumbling storage room and all could see with their own eyes its full presence. The long rectangular boxes that made up its two legs extended a bit outward, bringing it to its full height as the snout-like "head" and twin metal lances swept left and right as if to take in the sight of all the prey that were the Devs. And like a predator sensing inevitable kill, it raised its head and a roar akin to screeching metal came forth.

The mere sight of the new enemy robot and more of its kin arriving out of the entrance left SPARK petrified. Shaking, she could only sputter out what she saw. "I-i-i-it's a-a M-MECU REX!"

Bell saw the same thing and she couldn't believe it. "... You have got to be kidding me..." she muttered, quietly cursing her misfortune at having to face the fabled REX tank-like mechs on top of everything else. At once, everyone backed away from them and some quickly sought cover as the lead REX swung its prong-like lances that were on both sides of its body towards any unfortunate Dev it chose. Blue sparks crackled from the metal lances, increasing in intensity and volume.

Bell recognized the threat and wasted no time acting accordingly. "Railguns! Get behind something solid!" In hindsight, the warning wouldn't have made a difference as everyone assumed the worst and hid behind something durable anyways. And a second later, the electricity discharged, letting loose a solid projectile that ripped through the air at supersonic speeds and with a thunderous clap. An explosion of metal scraps, concrete, and dust erupted at the impact.

Rolling off of her back, Kreass groaned a quiet curse before she was lifted up by Frost. As the first REX roared in seeming satisfaction, the other REX mechs marched forward, with fresh MECU As and Bs flooding in from behind. "Destroy those blasted things before we're done for!" she shouted.

"Ten-four on that!" replied Frost as she primed her grenades. "If you've got explosives, better use them now!"

Another MECU REX took notice of Kreass and Frost and faced their direction, only for a double helping of tank shells from Grün to violently shove its head aside. Its low, squatting profile absorbed the impact but it captured the REX's attention as it rumbled in seeming annoyance.

Bell decided that there was no better moment than throwing out all four of her sentries and as they quickly assembled, she hurriedly went by each one and whacked them with her crowbar to upgrade their firepower. From her left, Gelb and SPARK stayed behind an overturned shelf, popping up to pepper the robots whenever they were distracted. To Bell's right were Weaver and Grün's tanks as they dueled with the REXs, a deadlock between strength and firepower. Ahead of her, Bell could see BJ who had recovered from the initial attack hacking and slashing alongside Nitroplus near the very front.

From where she was, Nitroplus realized that she didn't really have it easy: with nothing but her katana and her wits, she was up close and personal with at least a handful of towering tank mechs as well as the usual robotic enemies. All of which would be uninterested in fighting fair against a self-taught swordsman.

She leapt to the side in time for a rocket and several bullets to fly past her. ' _If I ever catch up to those rats…!'_ she thought, already devising the number of ways to pay them back for their current predicament, moralities be damned.

Nitroplus dashed side to side, from hard cover to another, trying to close in to do melee work, but the flurry of enemy fire forced her away. Frustrated, she considered other options until an explosion was heard somewhere close and BJ came screaming down on top of one of the REXs, rocket launcher in hand and bloodlust in her eyes. The REX flinched in response to BJ's audacious move as well as her attempts to blast it away at point-blank range.

The mech swayed its bulky mass around in an attempt to throw BJ off, but she held on through tenacity. "C'mon you sack of scrap! Lemme see what color your guts are!" she roared, even going as far as to attempt to pry bits of the mech apart with her bare hands. The surrounding combat bots that have noticed all turned their attention and weapons in an attempt to swat BJ off.

The entire scene made Nitroplus stare in awe. She almost forgot what she had planned to do until something damp slapped her on the cheek, snapping her back to frantic, chaotic reality.

"Meat! Watch yourself!"

"Huh?" Suddenly realizing that she had been standing out of cover, Nitroplus felt the intense stare of a nearby REX. She suddenly felt herself be yanked from behind, falling in between the crevices of an overturned storage shelf as bullets whipped overhead, one even grazing her bangs.

Nitroplus lay where she was, her heart throbbing and breathing as if she would forget how, for if it wasn't for Raw Meat she would indeed have. Said meat was fluttering low by her side, her meaty exterior spoiled by the dust of battle. "T-thanks," sighed Nitroplus.

"No problem, meat!" her companion reassured. Another explosion rang out and Nitroplus, determine to not risk repeating the same mistake she made, was content with lying low. There remained a small space underneath the overturned shelf for her to crawl under. As she clambered her way in relative safety, the battle continued to rage: blasts of fire and sound rang everywhere and although drowned out by the sounds of combat, Nitroplus could hear the shouts of her fellow Devs. For once, she felt herself afraid to emerge from her cover to rejoin the fight.

Suddenly, Nitroplus heard someone call for her name, somewhere close by. "Hey, Nitroplus! Get over here!" Glancing up, Nitroplus saw Bell's face as she motioned for her to follow. Like her, Bell was using the shelf for shelter. Nitroplus made her way over and joined Bell, the battle still raging in front of them. Along the way, they passed by smoking wrecks of fallen MECUs and parts that Nitroplus recognized as from Bell's sentries. Following her, Nitroplus saw that Cog was also nearby, her gun smoking with a glowing red barrel.

"Any luck?" asked Bell as she scooted to Cog's side.

An explosion, and then a shout from BJ was momentarily heard as she sailed over their heads. "Not much! The damn scrap-heads really brought in their badasses, 'cause they're no friggin' joke!" An ear-splitting roar of railguns and another explosion occurred, almost as if to accentuate Cog's point. "We're really gon' have to step up our game here, Bell!"

Bell slumped behind their shelter and sighed. "Really? I figured we had enough to fight our way out!... Of course, I'd rather we didn't have to, but still!"

Cog rolled her eyes in disbelief. "You wanna keep doing it the 'ol fashioned way? At this rate, I reckon we're gonna be old wheezers by the time we get out!"

Bell tried to come up with a retort, but as she looked around, she had to admit that Cog had a point: the entire underground area they were in was deteriorating by the minute, the walls and ceilings becoming more and more scarred by damage. Every second, something fell or collapsed; every second, a reprogrammed robot would make its way to the fight; every second was a second in which they could finally meet their end, an ignoble fate for the goddesses of the PC Continent.

One of the MECU REXs charged up its railguns, only for a lucky strike from an explosive to knock it almost flat off its feet. The railguns jerked straight up and as they were already charged, the railguns had no choice but to fire. The supersonic rounds slammed against the ceiling, ripping apart chunks of the ceiling, causing the Devs to scatter back to escape the concrete cascade. The same rubble flattened whatever robot was unfortunate to be in the way, though for the REXs they simply bounced off.

But as many watched in horror, some of the debris fell along the walls, clogging their exit with rubble. Worse, the ceiling continued to collapse even further and the ceiling threatened to crack in two, a black jagged crevice threatening to drop the proverbial sky on them. Nitroplus and Raw Meat could only stare in a mix of despair and denial at the sight and the implications that it brought.

"... No… No…!" Despite their best efforts, the Devs have not yet disabled any of the bipedal tanks and soon, everything up to this point would have been all for nothing. The rats, the battles, their journey, their experiences… all buried away like themselves with no one to tell the tale.

But this of course, assumed that they continued fighting with their current efforts.

Nitroplus visibly slumped at the sight of their situation, now even more lower than before, perhaps at their lowest. Like everyone, Bell saw it as well and couldn't help but share Nitroplus's feeling of hopelessness. But Bell partly felt another feeling: that of immense annoyance. Before, she was content staying off to the side and let the situation develop and resolve on someone else's end; and whenever she did have to do something, her usual methods would suffice. Even throughout their journey Bell felt no real need to put anymore real effort.

But all that was going to have to change. And although it was something all accomplished Devs took for granted, Bell couldn't help but feel a little miffed that she would have to resort to this method.

' _Ugh. Ideally, I shouldn't have to do this,'_ Bell thought to herself. ' _But whatever. Apparently we won't escape at this rate.'_

She glanced down at her hand and let her Acclaim energy gathering within her. ' _... So all that means is that we're going to have to rush things along.'_

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous," said Bell, her statement quite the understatement of their predicament. But rather than despair, it carried a slight air of resolve. "I was honestly hoping it wouldn't have to come down to this. But I'm going to have to _really_ kick things up now."

Beside her, Cog perked up. "Huh. Really now?"

"Admittedly, yeah."

For what might be the first time since her successful maneuver with Gelb, Cog cracked a grin, one wider than ever before. But Nitroplus and Raw Meat didn't seem to get the point. "W-what do you mean?" Nitroplus asked, still feeling down and defeated.

"Hold on to yer butts, 'cause you're gonna see the real Bell!"

Nitroplus remained confused, but noticed Bell doing something odd. She had closed her eyes and adopted a rather composed expression, even with the room threatening to cave in with each deep rumble and creak. Her open hand was raised above her head palm-up, and then...

"GGA: Activate!" proclaimed Bell. And by bringing her hand down in a fist, bright light engulfed her. Whether it was its natural intensity or because they had been fighting in a predominantly dimly-lit Azure Crypt Nitroplus wasn't sure as the light was almost blinding. But even if she could barely see, she suddenly realized what it was.

Amidst the flash of light, Bell felt the surge of power. She felt great energy spring forth and with it, her cumulative achievements and moments of glory of her past. Bell felt the power that was familiar to her and for a moment, found herself embracing it. She almost forgot how good it felt - how powerful it made her feel.

And as she accepted the Acclaim energy within her, the transformation came. Where it was her orange jacket and jeans of her passive casual life was superseded by a dark suit that covered her body and one-by-one, bits and pieces of gray and orange armor formed around her abdomen, legs, and arms. Bell thrust her right hand out and industrial tubular contraption of metallic grey materialized around the forearm, a trio of prongs snapping forward and back before orange lines glowed, signifying its working readiness. She then thrust out her left hand and a similar act occurred but the contraption around her left forearm was instead white and more elegant in design, activating with a blue glow. And finally, Bell summoned the appearance of two metal box-like devices, both red and blue and opening up to reveal ready their payload of rockets inside; the two rocket pods settling behind and above Bell's shoulders, held in place by nothing but the greater divine powers of a goddess.

At last, everything was ready.

Outside, what was a second of light had now faded, and in Bell's place, Nitroplus saw someone else - no, it was still Bell. But different; gone was her usual attire and instead a form-fitting suit with what appeared to be sleek armor on top and with devices that Nitroplus wasn't sure what they could do.

But she had a strong feeling she knew _what_ Bell was going to do. And more importantly, what she had become.

"Is that-" began Nitroplus before she noticed from her peripheral a huge chunk of ceiling coming loose and falling. Falling right where she was, too big and falling too fast for her to dive out of the way to safety. She gasped and flinched as the drab concrete debris raced to the ground towards her until it mysteriously came to a complete stop. No sound of impact, just stopped in place.

Nitroplus glanced back at Bell and realized that it was her doing. Her right hand was raised up and the metal device that glowed orange hummed with power as its three prongs around in a circle around Bell's right hand stretched in front, halting the debris' descent with some kind of invisible force. Despite the debris' size and seemingly heavy weight, it followed every move made by Bell's hand. She then swung it forward, sending the rock crashing towards the enemy. The ones who survived getting bowled over now had their full attention caught by Bell. Even the other Devs had ceased to look at Bell and what she had accomplished.

Bell dusted her hands in admiration of her work, but she was just warming up. "I think it's time for Steamroller Lambda to get to work," she said as she started to walk past Nitroplus and Raw Meat, who were in awe, and Cog, who merely continued to have a big shit-eating grin on her face.

"Atta boy, Belly! Go kick some ass!"

Nitroplus was still quite in shock, but seeing Bell transformed and Cog's enthusiasm, she could feel a slight glimmer of hope in her heart. She pulled out her katana and adjusted her grip before she deep breath.

' _This time… This time we can do this! And with the full might of a Dev, we can win this!'_

* * *

***** Pedissia Database Entry: GGA *****  
GGA, which stands for Greater Goddess Ability, is a special power gifted exclusively to Devs who have acquired enough Acclaim in their lives. It is a hallmark of any Dev who has successfully cemented her name in PC Continent society and culture. Method of activation has mostly been confirmed to be through the Dev's feelings of inner determination, self-confidence, fighting spirit, etc.

Each Dev who has acquired enough Acclaim energy to earn the ability to access GGA have their own unique powers, appearances, and rarely, personality changes. Each Dev blessed with the power of GGA have their own unique title which reflects their achievements and accomplishments throughout their lives. In short, a Dev's GGA form is a representation of all of her successes throughout her life and the GGA appearance and abilities reflect that. The more Acclaim a Dev has, the more powerful her GGA form would be (though that may not always be the case).

Analysis of similar goddesses on Gamindustri, which go by the term CPU or CPU Candidates, have confirmed that they have similar if not identical power. But what sets them apart is the power source, activation, and range of abilities. In addition, another point of difference is that both goddesses do not appear to be compatible with each other's power source. To this day, it is unknown of there exists any relation between the two types of goddesses or why they exist as two separate entities, but more importantly, it is unknown which is confirmed to be more powerful as the source of power (Shares for CPUs, Acclaim for Devs) may fluctuate.

RECENT ADDITION AWAITING APPROVAL FROM AUTHORIZED MODERATOR(S):  
[REDACTED]: For the sake of Hyperdimension, let's hope we don't have to find out who's more powerful...

***** End of Entry *****


	17. Chapter 16: Battle Boss Part 2

**Chapter 16: Battle Boss Part 2**

From the perspective of the surviving MECU robots, the new threat that they faced was more or less like any other, albeit a little more dangerous. The new threat was met with the same response as per its (admittedly outdated) programming: terminate with extreme prejudice. After all, a target was still a target.

But from the perspective of the Devs, Bell - or rather, Steamroller Lambda - was no mere target, let alone a normal combatant.

A trio of MECU As opened fire on Bell, only for her to deftly dodge to the side, lifting a concrete slab with the gravity-manipulating device on her right arm in front of her. As the robots opened up on the slab in front of Bell, the bullets did little to puncture through and when there was a lull in their attack, Bell whipped up her shoulder pods and rockets flew out in spiraling pattern, blowing the robots to smithereens. Another combat robot popped up on Bell's right only for her to use the same contraption to yank it towards her and grabbing it before finishing it off with a throw against a wall, with a force not seen before from Bell. A grenade that was thrown in her direction was similarly yanked out of the air and pulled towards Bell who promptly launched it back to the sender where it then exploded.

By now, Bell's activation of her GGA form and successes had rallied the rest onward, with Nitroplus leading the charge. She dashed ahead, sweeping the legs of a distracted MECU B before finishing it off with a downward stab. Bullets flew past, but now they were coming from the Devs' side.

Against the renewed assault, more and more robots fell. Some fell prey at melee from Nitroplus, BJ, and Blau; others ventilated by Cog, Frost, and Gelb; many more met destruction at the hands of the other Devs. Reeling from this onslaught, the REXs decided to intervene and bring their arsenal to bear, their signature railguns crackling in preparation.

Bell noticed the arrival of the REXs as they charged into the fray, heads and weapons of the nearest pair all seemingly focused on her. Acting quickly, she launched another salvo of rockets towards the cannons of the one of the REXs, causing it to flinch as if in pain as its powerful armament was emitting only smoke. Then, with the same gravity-manipulating device, Bell aimed to at the ground beneath the disarmed REX, but instead of ripping out a chunk of the ground, Bell instead leapt off her feet and used the immense pull to zip herself towards her destination.

As she zoomed to the location Bell timed her arrival by disengaging the pull, sliding to a stop neatly beneath the REX. Caught off guard by her sudden movement, the REX whose railguns weren't disabled by Bell snapped them towards her, the electromagnetic rails crackling almost to full power. Without a second to waste, Bell lifted her left hand and the white device snapped its prongs into activation, launching something akin to blue wisp at the ground near her. A bright blue oval-shaped pond of energy popped up on the smooth surface and Bell immediately launched another wisp of energy, this time of an orange color and forming an orange spot of the same shape as the blue one right next to it. But this time, rather than have a flat color of their respective energies, the centers of both energy circles cleared up to show a moving image.

An image that Bell recognized to be what she wanted to see.

Quickly glancing back at the REX, she saw that the railguns were near ready to fire. She had an idea, but it required insane timing. The REX she was standing under continued to be unaware of her presence. She concentrated at the other REX's railguns as best she could against the arcing electricity, and as they moved to a high-pitched humming, Bell quickly leapt out of the way.

Railgun rounds ripped through the air almost a nanosecond after she dived away, and struck one of the circular energy spots she placed on the ground. But instead of causing the ground to erupt on impact, the rounds instead went seemingly went through one of them…  
… And came out of the other, shooting straight up at the underside of the other REX, gouging a large hole in it and even causing it to hop up a meter up from the sheer force of impact before limply collapsing.

Bell landed from her dive right beside Cog, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat, the latter two of which gazed in awe at what had just occurred. Bell quickly dusted herself off and adjusted her glasses before a hearty slap on the back from Cog caused it to slide a bit out of place.

A small chuckle came from Cog. "Well butter my biscuits, we coulda done a whole lot more if you had just pulled off crap like that before! Why'd you keep us waitin' like that?"

Her statement was met with Bell hastily adjusting her glasses again but with a small hint of annoyance. "Why bother? Everything up until now was something we could've handled the normal way especially since we're in a group. And before you say stuff about close calls in the past, well, we still managed to get out in one piece."

Bell's reasoning made Cog look at her with a look of skepticism before she simply shrugged. "... Suuurrrre. Whatever you say..." The moment was interrupted for a second as Bell intercepted another falling debris from the ceiling and casually launched it toward the nearest MECU B, sending it flying backward like a ragdoll from the recoil. With the death of their first REX, the surviving models sought vengeance, increasing their assault on the Devs. Once again, it was beginning to look like the stalemate moments before.

Cog eyed the intense battle that raged and looked back at Bell. "Well, since it took you this long to man up..." she paused as she flexed her arms in preparation.

"... Guess it's go time for me!"

As Nitroplus and Raw Meat watched, Cog mimicked a similar action that Bell did before she too was consumed by white light. Cog let her store of Acclaim energy come forth and in the surge of power, the transformations came forth. A belt of bulky ammunition materialized and snaked around her waist, finishing with a wrap on top of her shoulder. Two vertical straps appeared over her chest, loaded with explosive implements. A large metallic shield materialized on her left shoulder, its size and weight somehow ignored by Cog's small stature. She then finalized the transformation with a bandana that wrapped around the top of her head, its racing stripes and aggressive red, white, and blue colors cementing the Dev's temperament.

The light faded and Cog dropped down next to Bell, Nitroplus was as surprised to see Cog's own GGA form as she did with Bell's. As the powered-up Cog cracked her knuckles in anticipation, Bell smirked. "Oh good. Glad to see you haven't forgotten that you had it."

A playful slap on Bell's shoulder was Cog's retort. "Yeah? Well let's see if you've forgotten how craptastically awesome mine's gonna be!" Cog then materialized two suped-up machine guns, one on each hand and even bigger and meaner than what they were before, towering over her and bristling with rotary barrels.

"Hail to the king, baby! Gunslinger Powerhouse's gonna go to town on these fools!" And with that, she charged forward with disregard for the whizzing bullets, battle, or even the absurdity of a shorter-than-average person dual-wielding guns about as twice as big as she was. Freudian imagery may as well suck a big one as far as Cog was concerned.

* * *

A barrage of attacks rained on the lead MECU REX which, as much damage as they incurred, managed to remain standing and combat-functional. By its feet were several MECU As and Bs as they moved along with the REX, determined to terminate all hostiles and to prevent a similar trick that Bell from happening.

Weaver watched as her elongated sword merely bounced off the tank-mech's plating, then a rocket exploding with as much effect. Disgruntled, she ducked back down as the robots focused their fire on where they saw her, peppering the area around her with shots.

' _Damn! Gotta hit their weak spots with something stronger!'_ she paused to look at her sword which had now returned to its regular length. ' _Hmm… something that dishes out acid that eats through tank armor? Guess that could work… Where's Bell by the way?'_

Something dashed past her and Weaver looked up just in time to see someone running towards the robots with two oversized guns with Bell running alongside. Weaver took a second to look at the who the second person was when she suddenly remembered who it was. ' _Oh this ought to be great,'_ she thought.

At the same time, Bell and Cog ran side-by-side toward the front of the battle. By now, the robot group which now consisted of three REXs and a dozen other robots; the others were preoccupied with holding off the others. But even then, there was quite some ground to cover before they could get close and even in their GGA forms a direct charge against multiple guns and artillery was suicidal.

Fortunately, they had other plans. The MECU bots had just detected two Devs running towards them and immediately opened fire. Bell and Cog both dived to the side into a hollowed-out part of the floor, where bullets and cannonfire flew harmlessly over their heads. Now that they were safe for the time being, Bell looked up to the dark and ever-crumbling ceiling to find a suitable flat surface. Having found one, she quickly fired an energy orb to open up a portal entrance on the ceiling. She then aimed her left arm to the ground right next to them and fired the other entrance. With the portal link complete, they looked down to see the raging battle from above and seeing themselves looking down to see themselves was somewhat a surreal feeling.

Bell and Cog glanced at each other and merely exchanged nods. Smiling from ear to ear for what she was about to do, Cog hopped down the portal, appearing from the ceiling the descend upon the unsuspecting group of robots. Cocking each of her guns, she pointed them down and as the barrels started spooling up, an almost psychotic grin spread on her face in anticipation for the world of hurt the robots would enter.

The ensuing carnage from Gunslinger Powerhouse (AKA Cog) was a sight to behold that would be difficult to express in simple words. To describe it as bullet hell, both figuratively and literally, would not quite do it justice. Rather, it would be if a very angry supreme being of the universe were to pour a bucket of never-ending stream of hellfire and firecrackers that all so happened to explode (in the firecrackers' case, explosions within explosions) on those he wished to be smited. The combat robots and even the REXs were not so much as torn to pieces as they _melted_ from the sheer number of bullets.

"EAT IT! EAT IT! EAT IT THREE MEALS A DAY, HAHA!" hollered Cog from the top of her lungs in a volume that even rivaled the sounds of her two guns that both fired at a rate that they would understandably be mistaken for lasers. While she had absolutely no problems hefting her weapons, the sheer recoil was enough to send her careening backward through the air and would have continued to do so if it weren't for Bell snatching her back to solid ground and into safety.

Once she caught her, Bell could barely hear a comprehendable word from Cog as she was too busy laughing. "Haha-ha…! D-did you see that?... Dem poor SOBs must've… must've, I dunno, melted like peeps over a campfire!... Just, just like… Pbbblftt!... H-heh, I think that's the sound they made!"

"Alright, alright," replied Bell, doing her best to sound very impressed for Cog. "I get it."

Cog caught a glimpse of Weaver and hopped towards her, running past Bell. "Hey hey, Weavy! Didya see what I did? Didya see it? Was I awesome or what?"

Weaver could only stare blankly at Cog as she comprehended the questions before a falling debris caused Weaver to flinch before she realized it stopped mid-air. Sighing, Bell swung the levitating debris towards the remaining robots, knocking over two of them in the process while the rest continued to fight the other Devs.

"Hey, Hyper Dimension to Cog: we're still stuck underground. Let's get this over with so -"

Bell's words were cut short by the sudden arrival of another, louder voice, courtesy of a certain predominantly blue-colored individual stomping her way over in a huff. "Oh, this is intolerable! I refuse to believe that I, Blau, could be left out of becoming the first to have the privilege to use their GGA forms!" she exclaimed, while pointing an accusatory finger at Bell and Cog. "Who else but the number one Dev of the PC Continent should have the honor of showcasing her GGA form?!"

Even in the midst of an ongoing battle, Bell, Cog, and Weaver all took the time to awkwardly glance at one another. "... Uh, me?" replied Bell.

"Besides," began Weaver before almost being interrupted by another falling debris that was caught and disposed of by Bell. "We're kinda short on time here, in case you forgot!"

Blau straightened up will a proud puff of her chest. "Oh well then! It shall not take long! I, Blau, shall show you what a _real_ Dev looks like before you know it!" She then struck a different pose, the kind you'd see from those Gamindustri TV shows where the costumed heroes have to be all dramatic just to transform. "GGA -"

A piece of rock the size of a potato suddenly struck the top of her head with an almost comical "CONK!". Blau staggered like a drunkard from the impact as she struggled and teetered against unconsciousness.

"... Activate~~!" Blau awkwardly sang until she fainted and flopped over. Bell glanced at her for a second before shrugging. "Oh, whoops. Guess that one just slipped past me."

Nitroplus and Raw Meat had just arrived and upon seeing Blau, Nitroplus and Weaver dashed up to where she lay. Weaver did a quick check on Blau's head, and besides a small little bump, she was still alive. Dignity marred, but nothing serious.

"Well one thing's for certain, she's not gonna be happy when she comes to," remarked Weaver. A stray rocket hurtled overhead before exploding some distance away. Everyone except for Raw Meat and Blau leapt up, weapons drawn in front of them. During this whole time, the other Devs were too preoccupied with the remaining robots but now the surviving REXs have all seemingly decided that the only two Devs currently in their GGA forms were a priority target and now everyone felt the menacing glare of all railguns being charged up in their direction. Meanwhile, the others were held at bay by the lesser robots; they won't have much of a chance to rely on the others for help.

"Uhhh..." Cog began to say, bearing her two guns but feeling not so confident with several vehicle-sized guns aimed at them. "Them guns are starin' at us menacingly!"

The numerous railguns all began crackling with energy and Bell didn't like the odds either. "One's fine but I can't do anything against this many simultaneously!"

Weaver then quickly stood up and jumped in between Bell and Cog. "Alright, I got this!" Crouched beside Blau's unconscious form, Nitroplus and Raw Meat again saw a familiar white light flash around Weaver, unsure and curious as to what would become Weaver's GGA form.

Within the second of light, Weaver's dark-colored jacket and light-blue jeans was covered by grey iron armor, like the kind worn by medieval knights but where it would be shiny and chrome-like, hers was of a weathered texture, the kind that looked as though it could withstand a nuclear apocalypse. With a swipe of her gauntlet hand, a flowing black cape appeared out of nowhere on her back, along with propped high collars that were attached to the cape and strips of parchment strips hanging from parts of her armor, adorned with some runes that granted the armor the same privileges. A swipe from her sword - now even bigger with an intricate crossguard and a blade that glimmered with implied power - and the light faded, signalling the end of Weaver's transformation.

For a moment, Nitroplus was confused to see who it was that stood about half a head taller than Bell but looking up, she quickly realized that it was just Weaver in her own GGA form. She and Raw Meat stared in awe as they saw the literary Dev be dressed in a suit of bulky-looking armor swing her claymore-like sword once around her head then stabbed it straight toward the ground. In an instant, a translucent faint-blue shield emerged, surrounding them all like a bubble.

And an instant later, all the REXs fired at once, drowning the entire room with the largest boom ever heard as every railgun was fired. But the ear-tearing thunder of several sound barriers being broken was nothing compared to the sensation of several supersonic rounds tearing through the air and slamming against the projected shield. Nitroplus felt the intense gust of air blow past her, knocking her flat on her back.

But as she discovered to her surprise, the magical barrier held. Well, just barely, as the transparent tint of blue was shattered against the combined impacts. But the shield did its job: none of them were any more worse for wear other than being recoiled back due to the force of impacts, only exception being Weaver who stood firm, seemingly anchored by her heavy armor, imbedded sword, and maybe some kind of magic.

Having negated the robots' attack, Weaver pulled the sword from the stone, letting its dimly glowing blade glimmer. "Long as I, Enchantress Voyager, stand, there's no way you'll get past me even with all your might!" And with a quick broad horizontal sweep of her sword, every single railgun mounted on top of the REXs were sliced in half, sending them all in confusion and disarray with the loss of what was their armaments.

"Heh. Nice one," remarked Bell.

"Hell yeah!" agreed Cog as she raised her weapons, "Now let's mop these fools!"

"Oh, I want a piece of 'em!" A voice called out and everyone turned to see BJ drop down in the middle of them, her leather jacket singed and tarnished in some places but seemingly unaffected her thirst for blood. "Can't you take all the fun y'know!" she added as she brushed past Cog, Bell, and Weaver before whipping out her rocket launcher and blasting it toward the ground, propelling her through the air towards the group of REXs and a handful of regular robots that weren't preoccupied with the others.

As BJ sailed through the air, she cracked her knuckles and let out a loud evil cackle. "Oh, I've been waiting too long for this!" And with that, she called upon her reserve of Acclaim energy and let herself transform. Similar to Bell, BJ's clothes were supplanted in favor of drab green armor that covered her from neck to toe. But where Bell's was sleek and streamlined, BJ's armor comprised of thick armor, adorned with spikes on her forearms and shins as well as fur collar around her neck, and despite the protection it would serve it left BJ's biceps and abdomen exposed - an outfit befitting of one who lived for the excitement and thrill of battle; an untamed force of nature now unleashed. The sequence was capped off with BJ pounding her now armored fists together - she was long overdue for slaughter.

And as BJ continued to close in on the group of robots, a launcher materialized in her armored fist. But unlike the rocket launcher she had used before, this one sported a wide and bulky frame near the muzzle end. She whirled towards the robots - her doomed prey.

The launcher began emitting a green glow and sparked with the same color. "Say hello to my little friend!" she roared before pulling the trigger.

In an instant, a good swath of the room they were fighting in glowed bright green in a flash and at the same time, the entire group of REXs vaporized, leaving nothing but torn scraps, cinders, and a notable crater where they all once stood. However, a single REX survived, damaged and now alone but still alive. It had apparently been fortunate enough to be far away just enough to survive BJ's initial attack.

But depending on perspectives, having survived the initial awesome attack would be that REX's misfortune. BJ came down to the ground, tucking and rolling to conserve the momentum of what would be her onslaught. She sprinted towards the one remaining REX, oblivious to its desperate attempt to defend itself with its machine guns even as a few struck her, bouncing off her armor or simply flattening themselves against it.

"THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?" shouted BJ, seemingly amused by attacks that were feeble by her definition. "I'M SLAYER FRICKIN' FENRIR, AND YOU JUST MADE YOUR DOOM PAINFUL AND ETERNAL, _BITCH!_ "

She came close to the REX (it should be noted that it even began back-pedalling) and quickly jumped high, latching on to its head. Just like last time when BJ attempted the same move, the REX immediately began swinging its mass back and forth to throw her off. But unlike last time, there wasn't a thrill-seeking berserker on top of it - she was now a thrill-seeking berserker who was now a walking pillar of violence fueled by rage and with an appetite for payback to boot.

BJ managed to secure a good grip on the top of the REX's head, even going so far as to punch dents into the thick tough armor to get a better grip. The REX again and again attempted to throw her off, but with no other robot around to shoot her off, it became clear that the duel was only going to end one way.

BJ readied another punch and this time, she made sure her fist went clean through the REX's armor. Gripping the surface with her other hand, BJ yanked hard as she could, ripping out only a fistful of the REX's internal mechanisms. Immediately, the REX's movement became more sluggish, a mortal wound evident.

But BJ was only getting started. The mechanical beast's wound only put a bigger smile on her face. Encouraged, she plunged her armored fist down again, ripping another small hole in the mech's armor and tearing out more of the mech: circuitry, wires, and parts of the armor plating itself. Then after completing the action, she did it with her other hand, repeating the action. And again. And again. Each time, the robot slowing dying from inside while the sharp-toothed grin on her face getting wider and wider.

Finally, the REX slumped down dead, and all that remained of its head and upper body were a torn-out metal shell, its remaining life dminishing with each sputtering smoke and spark. And then, to finish her piece of work, BJ jumped straight up only to smash what remained of the head to smithereens against her armored boots on the way down.

Finally done with her work, BJ dusted hands off. "Ha-hahaHA!" she whooped, "Ohhhh, that felt good!" Taking a breath, BJ then started to realize that the battle seemed already won, with no other robot around her. If anything, all that remained were the Devs who all gathered around in awed silence. It took BJ a moment to realize that they had all mopped up the remaining robots and witnessed BJ's entire glory kill.

"... U-uhhh… er, wow..." whispered SPARK, her hair and clothes covered in patches of dirt and dust.  
"I think kill has already been confirmed," said Frost.  
"Ugh. While it was time that you activated your GGA form, your form could use more… finesse," muttered Kreass as she wiped her glasses with whatever clean spot on her silk vest she could find.  
Cog glanced at the charcoal crater and the husk of the last REX. "... That still counts as one, BJ."

Weaver gave Cog a slight nudge as she walked past. "I don't know about you, but I'll admit her moves were cooler than yours."

"Oh go screw a cactus, Weavy!" snapped Cog.

A little behind them, Nitroplus and Raw Meat simply stood in silence with their mouths agape. ' _This… this is what a Dev could do? Their true power?'_ Nitroplus wondered, thinking back to when she first saw Bell transform. ' _Back then, I only heard rumors, but seeing it for myself, it-they're stronger than I imagined!'_

The feeling of her meaty companion clinging close to her interrupted her thoughts. "Problem?"

"Not much, not much!" Raw Meat replied, "It's just… let's try not to get on BJ's bad side, right?"

Nitroplus quietly concurred before a falling rock shattered against the ground. Looking up, she saw that the ceiling would not hold for long. They all needed to evacuate, now.

"Nitroplus! Get Blau!" ordered Weaver as the others hurried ahead. Nitroplus scrambled to Blau as she continued to remain unconscious. With Raw Meat's help, she gingerly propped Blau up on top of her back as best she could. As Nitroplus lifted Blau on her shoulder, she heard a slight murmur.

"Mmmm… Oh that will do, mm-hmm… Oh I'll go gentle..."

' _I-is she thinking about me or something?'_ thought Nitroplus as she saw Blau's lips curl up in a small smile, as if she was enjoying a good dream. A chunk of the ceiling crashed just by her side, and Nitroplus pushed those thoughts aside as she ran up to the Devs as fast as she could.

As before, the passageway that would have been their exit remained cordoned off thanks to a pile of debris. Everyone gathered as close as they could as if their failed exit could shelter them from the hail of crumbling rock. "Step back! I got this!" Bell called and with her right arm, immediately went to work clearing the debris. In a span of a few seconds, a few tons of rock and rubble were cleared where it would've have taken any machine hours. Soon, their exit was cleared and open for business.

"Marvelous," Kreass commented. "Now get in! Bell, Cog, Weaver, and the barbarian should go first, the rest of us will provide support from behind. Now go!" Without wasting another word, all the Devs - none other than Blau were incapacitated, thankfully - proceeded through the exit was all due haste, with Kreass, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat entering last after everyone else. And right as they entered the passageway, the ceiling of the storage room finally collapsed, burying their previous battleground behind them.

Nitroplus coughed up dust as she ran, hampered by having to carry Blau who continued to remain out cold. Glancing back, she saw that the passageway entrance was blocked once more; this time for real. Whatever happens from this point on, there would be no turning back.

After running through the concrete passageway, Nitroplus and Raw Meat caught up with the rest in what appeared to be another storage room, but this time instead of a machinery graveyard buried in dark blue hue like before, the one they were in was more mundane: stacked rows of boxes, barrels, and containers in a warm orange lighting courtesy of the overhead lights. A wide open space ran along the center and directly opposite of them was another large passageway. Presumably another exit.

But any feeling of comfort or safety was temporary as the room shuddered and the sounds of doors being bashed open were heard throughout the room.

"We have company!" announced Gelb. Snapping back into action, Bell turned to Cog. "Cog! With me!" Bell opened up a portal on the ground and another on the ceiling some meters away before she and Cog hopped through. Gunfire erupted as Weaver motioned for BJ to follow her as she ran ahead. With the transformed Devs taking the lead, the rest ran forward in relative group towards their next path.

Frost cocked her gun and turned to Nitroplus and Raw Meat as the former prepared to haul Blau once again. "Nitroplus, make sure you got her secured. We'll keep you covered!"

"Thanks," replied Nitroplus.

"Mmmm… That's nice..." Blau dreamily said, again seemingly having a good (or kinky) dream in her unconsciousness.

"We've got more robots coming in!" Weaver's voice shouted out above the din of their next battle. "Looks like they brought another army!"

Nitroplus peered at Blau on her back, her strength and hands preoccupied with carrying her. It was necessary, but she wasn't quite looking forward to having to go through a fight without any way to protect herself. ' _One of these days...'_ she thought worryingly.

* * *

Bell hopped down from the container she was on, getting out of the way of bullets from a nearby robot squad. She dived behind a metal garbage bin-like box as they shifted their fire. Quickly firing off a portal, she tossed out one of her turrets, causing it to pop up from behind the robots. Having dealt with them, she scanned around for other threats. Somewhere off to her side out of her sight, Bell could hear explosions and seemingly never-ending sounds of gunfire.

"YEAH-HA! GIT SOME! GIT SOME!"

' _Well, she seems to be doing fine.'_ Bell glanced a bit to her side and noticed a column of boxes falling over to reveal more MECUs, including As, Bs, and a single REX. Glowering, Bell fired off a quick rocket salvo before catching a flying rocket mid-air and shooting it back at the robots. Before they could retaliate, Bell made her escape through a portal, appearing on the other side of the storage room on top of a stack of cargo containers.

Down below, a squadron of twin-barreled tanks rolled up alongside Weaver as she kept the robots at bay with her magical barriers and attacks. From what she could see, SPARK was busy clambering up on a box, Kreass and Gelb were keeping their eyes on the flanks, while Frost moved alongside Nitroplus and Raw Meat. All the doors that led to the room they were in were flooded with combat robots of all shapes and sizes - and they were all caught in the middle.

A nearby chunk of boxes suddenly fell apart and a certain green-armored berserker came charging through. "HERE I COME!" shouted BJ as she crashed into an unsuspecting MECU A, rendering it to crumpled metal instantly. Nearby robots were grappled and slaughtered by BJ's hands as she finished the last of the group with a gratuitous finisher with her chainsaw. A rocket struck BJ, kicking up a cloud of smoke. A second later, a chainsaw came flying out, impaling the robot responsible before BJ came charging out of the smoke looking no worse than she did before.

More robots came storming in at BJ's present location. "Yeah, you like it dontcha? You tin cans _better_ be quakin' in your knees!" As the robots moved in to attack, the sudden arrival of red and blue boxes falling from the ceiling and popping out into turret guns caught BJ a little off guard, especially since they began opening fire on what was originally her kill. Then, Bell hopped down right next to her.

BJ only gave Bell a slightly bemused look, which made the latter a little confused. "Thought you could appreciate a little help," said Bell. BJ only laughed as she lightly punched Bell's shoulder. "You tryin' to kill-steal from the big, bad wolf of doom? I don't think so!" BJ gave a hearty laugh.

"Uhh… right."

A rocket flew right between them, causing the two of them to jerk back into action. Another rocket flew towards them, but Bell grabbed it out of the air. Meanwhile, BJ dashed ahead, chainsaw in hand, but for a quick moment Bell had an idea. "BJ! Jump!"

BJ didn't bother asking why as she leapt up and right when she did, Bell quickly aimed and launched the captured rocket, letting it sail towards the bottom of BJ's boots at just the right angle to launch her upward. The group of robots that went in to attack stopped at the sight of a Dev flying through the air… only for her to hurtle back to earth, gravity and fury in an unholy combination of savage devastation.

* * *

Cog burned through what seemed like another day's worth of ammo spraying it all over the far end of a wall, mowing down boxes, containers, and other miscellaneous storage room equipment alongside her intended targets (whatever they may be). Some of her bullets struck the occasional red-colored barrel, popping forth a small inferno ball. The scraps and remains of practically everything littered the floor around her as she burned through another day's worth of ammo from each gun.

"Yeah that's right! THAT'S DOG-GONE RIGHT! CAN'T HEAR YA OVER THE SOUNDS OF MY GUNS! CAN'T HEEAAARRR YOU!"

Another sweep of lead hailstorm disintegrated another row of the room before a different, barely audible sound came out.

"You twit! Watch where you aim!" An angry voice called out. Cog only heard it during the rare moment she stopped shooting.

"Whoopsies! Sorry!... Whoever that was!" And without a hitch, Cog resumed firing, making half-hearted effort to not spray bullets at that direction again. And whatever she was doing, it was a fairly decent tactic: from what she could see, the robots all seemed to be coming from everywhere. The particular storage room they were in had multitudes of connecting doors, all big enough for squads of MECUs or even a MECU REX to coming crawling out.

And speak of the devil. From where Cog stood, a pile of rubble was disturbed, unearthing an income trio of REXs, their optics and guns already on the alert for their targets. Instinctively, Cog swung her akimbo guns around and unloaded on them. A shower of tracers was met with a shower of sparks that peppered the REXs' armor like torrential rain but despite the firepower, the most Cog managed to accomplish was dent their armor all over the place.

"C'mon, ya tinkertoes! Ya'll like it, doncha?!" Unfortunately, unlike last time when Cog mowed down a group of robots, she was no longer in a position to target their weaker armor. The attacks were impressive, but without effectiveness.

Seeing as how her mechanical foes were still standing, Cog ceased fire and growled in frustration. "Dag-nabit!" she cursed as she ran to cover as the railguns began charging up. A roar of cannon shots pelted the REXs as Grün's tanks rolled in guns blazing. Elsewhere, Weaver kept the center of the group protected with her magical barriers. Across from her, she saw a few more REXs stomp through the fire and flames; their lesser minions numbering in the dozens. As the REXs' cannons charged up with target already acquired, Weaver quickly erected the blue-tint bubble shield in front of her.

The shield absorbed the supersonic impacts before dissipating as before, but now they were starting to learn: another series of railgun blasts came immediately after, tearing through the air and obstacles around Weaver.

"Oh, you did _not_ just -" Weaver began to wave her claymore to disarm the REXs only for bullets and rockets to buzz past, forcing her to defend herself. She quickly conjured more barriers to blunt the robots' attacks, but time spent on the defense was time not spent on attacking the robots as they readied for their next attacks.

"They're coming from everywhere!" Nitroplus called as she slashed down a regular MECU bot. From the battle which was quickly becoming a stalemate, she had managed to find a safe place to deposit Blau before joining the fray.

The shadow of one of Grün's bomber blimps passed overhead, slowly making its way over the enemy while being assailed by enemy fire. From the center of their battle formation sat Grün as she simply leaned back on her wheelchair-turned-base surrounded by her buildings and tower defenses, seemingly unconcerned by the battle that raged on. She even went so far as to casually light up another one of her cigars.

"Huh. If that's what you're worried about, kid, then _shoot_ everywhere!"

Kreass resided near the top of one of the container stacks that continued to remain standing. From the vantage point, she saw that the situation was developing not in their favor. Despite the boon that four GGA-enhanced Devs offered, it was clear that their progress (and of course, their escape) was grinding to a halt against the robot's sheer numbers.

Worse, it was becoming clear that they were being encircled. Already everyone was forced to redirect their attention to not only what was in front of them but to their sides and rear. And divided attention meant that their focus and firepower was stretched thin.

And that bode ill news. It didn't require a genius to know that being surrounded by a numerically superior enemy was something to avoid. Granted, each individual could defeat a few or several at a time, but just as many - if not more - were arriving just as quickly.

Kreass's frown deepened as she considered the situation. To make a breakthrough, more of them may have to resort to their GGA form - but surely there was a way to make it out? Perhaps, but perhaps on the other hand -

Kreass paused as she noticed something - or rather, someone - trembling by the bottom of the containers she was on top of. Judging by her relatively small profile hampered by constantly shrinking from social interactions, her round glasses, and the absurd antenna accessory, Kreass recognized the person below as none other than SPARK; presumably being unable to handle the pressure of the situation.

' _Ugh. Of course,'_ Kreass had no time or patience for such timidity, especially in the given circumstances. "Oi! Cease your incessant blubbering and get back into the battle!"

SPARK darted her eyes left and right, uncertainty of putting herself in harm's way clear in her expression as she huddled close behind a large box. "B-b-b-b-but nothing's going right! I, uh, e-even t-tried, w-what am I supposed to do?" she whimpered. She tried to peer from behind her cover only for a nearby explosion to send her scrambling back with a whine.

Kreass vehemently sighed. "Oh, for - Must you be this inept? Gelb! Grün! Take command for the time being! I have some reprimands to deliver." Kreass stepped forward to make her way down to where SPARK was, cautious due to how exposed she was, while SPARK merely curled up where she was as she could only gaze at Kreass's approach, not looking forward to what she may have in store for her.

Or at least, SPARK would be worried had a rocket launched from a MECU B not flew overhead, striking the ceiling and causing Kreass to stumble from the blast. She teetered forward on the container edge and as SPARK watched, Kreass could only awkwardly wave her arms as her balance gave way to gravity and fell with a surprised yell.

Instinctively, SPARK scurried from her spot hoping to catch Kreass. As Kreass fell, she tumbled over some of the stacked crates and SPARK hurriedly tried to predict where she would end up. Kreass bumped her back off of the edge of a box before she fell into SPARK's arms as she predicted but what she underestimated was the momentum of the fall and thus, SPARK began to fall backwards over the edge. She gave out a terrified cry as she and Kreass fell over until…

… she landed on something soft. For a split second, SPARK knew that it wasn't the ground, but rather…

"I got you!" SPARK felt her body land on Nitroplus as she barely cushioned the landing. Breathing frantically, SPARK looked around to find herself on the concrete floor, sandwiched between two people. The ground trembled from explosions as SPARK and Nitroplus untangled themselves from the mess. But as SPARK lifted up Kreass's body from her, she realized that she was rather limp.

"H-hey! A-are you…?" SPARK took a look at Kreass's face and realized that her rough landing must have knocked her out. Her short bangs were a little ruffled and her glasses were lopsided; good news was, she was still breathing.

SPARK let herself sigh a bit in relief, but couldn't feel relaxed at all. How could she? With what was supposed to be a simple final battle becoming a long-drawn out battle? Nothing really went entirely according to plan and with the upper hand slowly slipping back to the robots, SPARK had no idea what to do. How exactly were they to regain the initiative?

SPARK gazed down as she held the unconscious Kreass in her arms. How was _she_ supposed to help turn the unfavorable odds in their favor?

"SPARK, we need to get out of here!" urged Nitroplus as she tugged on the back of SPARK's shirt. But SPARK refused to budge.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry..." SPARK sobbed quietly, "I-I haven't been-been t-too helpful..."

Nitroplus wasn't quite sure what to say. But seeing SPARK like this, she had to do something. She eased up on the tugging and instead laid a warm hand on SPARK's head. "It wasn't your fault. This whole thing wasn't anything we could have known. I know this all sounds rather cliche, but don't blame yourself for this."

"B-but now things aren't going right…! Can-can we really win with odds like this?"

Nitroplus tried to think of a response, having little experience with touchy moments such as this. Thinking back to her entire journey thus far, thinking back to her own feelings and experience, she had an idea. "It's not the chances that matter - if we really didn't have a chance, we wouldn't keep doing this. You have allies - friends - with you. Even against situations like this, we can still win so long as you have others to fight with."

SPARK's sniffling momentarily stopped as she heard the words. But what feeling of understanding there was was interrupted as one of Grün's tanks rumbled right past, yanking the two back to reality. Nitroplus jumped out of the way, seeing as the battle was drawing close.

"We still have to get Kreass to safety! You'll be able to make it up to her." She then reached out to hold Kreass be her shoulders in an attempt to get her away. This time, SPARK slowly got to her feet and help carry Kreass and the two hustled inside an open metal shipping container near the center of the room and their formation. They gently laid Kreass down next to Blau, who was still out cold (and presumably still having a sappy dream). With the deed down, Nitroplus wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and readied her weapon, ready to help fight before SPARK's voice quietly called behind her.

"U-um, N-Nitroplus? About what you said earlier..."

Nitroplus turned to face SPARK who had calmed down. Still her anxious awkward self, but still an improvement. "Um, I, uh, wanted to thank you..."

"Oh, think nothing of it," Nitroplus replied.

"No!" Nitroplus was surprised by a surprisingly assertive response from SPARK. But immediately after, she seemingly noticed it too and averted eye contact. "No, I, uh, I really mean it. I, er, you're right: it wasn't right for me to be like this just because I thought we couldn't win. I, um, I wasn't thinking about it with you guys. You're all my friends - the only friends I've made for quite some time."

SPARK then glanced back at Nitroplus and she could see that SPARK's thick swirly-lensed glasses was crooked all this time. SPARK raised her hand up to her spectacles, but to Nitroplus's surprise, rather than right them SPARK instead lifted her glasses off, revealing her actual brown eyes which showed newfound determination. "So - this is for you! For all of us!" SPARK laid her hand over her heart and Nitroplus quickly deduced what was about to happen.

Within the familiar light, SPARK felt herself altered by her GGA energy, her formerly diminutive frame replaced with one taller, more confident. Over her shirt and shorts, bits or armor formed over the legs, torso, and shoulders of her new appearance, the metal frame and padding colored red, yellow, and orange. The antenna headband she wore melted into white and reformed as a sleek, technologically-advanced looking headgear distinguished by a pair of thin blade-like "ears".

Nitroplus watched as the transformed SPARK emerged from the light and seeing her, Nitroplus almost forgot who she was in front of. The SPARK in front of her was unlike the one she knew; the awkward and unsure hermit she met back in the Turing Woodlands now replaced with someone who was taller, more developed, and most importantly, more confident. Her hair was still the same, yet the simple removal of her glasses and headband was enough to give off a "serious" vibe. Staring at the sharp brown eyes, Nitroplus had just realized that she was actually looking slightly up.

"I… didn't know this was what you actually looked like, SPARK." Nitroplus wasn't quite sure how to respond other than a clumsy attempt at a compliment.

In SPARK's right hand materialized now materialized a lengthy, box-like sniper rifle adorned with a side-mounted flashlight and exposed power cables with an equally blocky scope mounted on top, filled to the brim with delicate instruments. The weapon exuded the impression of rugged sophistication; something of a sharp contrast to SPARK's original crossbow.

The GGA-turned goddess's serious face and sharp eyes were offset by her tiny smile. "You can call me by my title, Igniter Axle," she replied with a voice that was noticeably deeper than SPARK's original voice. She then hefted her rifle and pulled a handle, causing it to hum in power. "Time to turn the odds in our favor," she said as proceeded to jog outside the container, an expression of seriousness back on her face.

Immediately after going outside, SPARK turned to clamber up on top of the container as Nitroplus watched in curiosity. She observed as SPARK climbed up to a vantage point of stacked containers with assurance and ease, likely as a result of her new height as well as her sudden 180-degree personality change.

In the few seconds it took for SPARK to climb to the top of her vantage point, the battle continued to rage. Explosions and shouts continued to ring out and all around her she saw wreckage of nearby scenery as well as multitudes of scrapped robots. She could see the other Devs - her friends - fighting all around her: Bell employing the environment and turrets to fight and heckle the robots, Cog mowing down hordes of them with brute force, Weaver setting up force barriers for others while fighting the robots simultaneously, BJ soloing robotic mobs with all manner of weapons and inhuman ferocity, and the rest fighting to the extent of their (regular) abilities.

SPARK took in all the events going on and instantly deduced her course of action. Normally, she was paranoid with chances and probabilities, hesitant even towards ideal chances for fear of failure. And even now, their chances were not ideal.

But that would be what SPARK would normally conclude to had she remained in her normal form. The one taking aim through the scope and preparing for overwatch fire was Igniter Axle - and she was going to make her own chances.

* * *

A chunk of overhead lighting fell towards the ground as Bell gracefully cart-wheeled out of the way, firing off her rockets at a nearby MECU REX at the same time before ducking behind a hole-ridden shipping crate. Two of her turret guns - the blue and white ones - had already been neutralized and her remaining two were already preoccupied.

' _Geez,'_ Bell thought with tired annoyance, ' _even in this form, it's getting tiring as hell...'_ Nearby, one of Grün's twin-barreled tanks was parked in the open, trading blows with the robots. Despite its efforts, the concentrated fire meant it wouldn't last long.

Bell leaned from her cover and spied a nearby group of MECU Bs as they moved in to take aim. Quickly looking around her, she spotted a red-shaded barrel that managed to remain intact up to this point. Snapping her right arm towards it, Bell pulled it towards her before leaning out again and punting it with non-physical force. The barrel crashed amidst the robot group and burst, mixing the volatile mix that was its contents with sparks caused by friction. The result was the norm for your typical "exploding barrel" trope.

' _Which reminds me why they bothered storing them here of all places.'_

Suddenly, a ragged hole was instantly torn out of the shipping crate she was hiding behind with a loud bang; the shockwaves sending Bell tumbling flat on her stomach and turning the nearby tank that she just saved into a smoldering wreck. Groaning from the unforeseen event, Bell grimaced at the prospect of having to face down another MECU REX nearby, especially one that managed to nail its target through an obstacle.

Bell began to pick herself up until she realized she was now exposed, and that several robots were already descending upon her. She braced herself to dodge until a soda can-like metal cylinder tumbled in between her and the danger, clicking and clacking against the floor until a cloud-like smoke popped forth.

Frost came in from behind Bell. "You're good to go! Move!" Bell quickly shot off portals, "falling" right by Frost's side as she took cover behind the wreck of the tank. From where she was, Bell could catch glimpses of her fellow Devs fighting elsewhere, but with all the chaos, she could only hear and feel the action.

"Guess I can thank you for that."

"Copy that," replied Frost as she inserted a fresh magazine into her rifle, with practiced speed and finesse that all took place before her old empty magazine touched the ground. "Got word that Gelb and Grün's assumed command from Kreass."

' _Wait, she actually did that?'_ wondered Bell. From what she remembered, it was rare for someone like Kreass to willingly relinquish leadership like that. Granted, it wasn't _impossible_ for it to happen, but Bell certainly didn't expect it. But why would she do that?

In fact, where was she?

But further thoughts and theories were interrupted as the smoke began to clear, revealing the band of robots once more as they advanced in their direction. Frost popped up from behind her cover and opened fire. The robots were undeterred by the automatic fire (not that they had emotions to begin with) and instead advance even closer, having now confirmed where their targets were. Frost kept up the fire before the wreckage of a shipping crate that Bell was hiding behind earlier was pushed aside or trampled underfoot by a REX, seemingly eager for its next kill.

"Move!" Bell didn't wait for Frost to push her onward and opened up another pair of portals as she pulled Frost in with her, tossing out another one of her turret guns as a parting gift before appearing elsewhere once again. This time, Bell and Frost found themselves by Gelb's side among some low-height or overturned crates; Cog was next to her, the barrels of her two guns piping red-hot.

"Hey," greeted Bell. With what's been going on, formality was certainly not on her mind. Gelb glanced to her side at them and with barely a emotion, merely nodded. After gaining her bearings, Frost wordlessly assumed position alongside Gelb and Cog.

"Man, do I need a bullet with all their names or something'?!" Cog complained, "They just keep on comin'!"

Though she didn't register any emotion, Gelb's response was sarcastic. "Glad you noticed." She pointed out beyond their cover where very little, if any, of the original storehouse remained, replaced with sparking and scrapped mechs, ruin, and more robots that continued to arrive from the numerous entrances around them. "So long as they keep coming, they're pushing us back. We'll need to cut off their reinforcements if we're to win." Gelb would've continued talking had a bullet not flew overhead, interrupting her analysis. Needless to say, she didn't need to say anymore for everyone to understand the problems they faced.

"Enemy armor spotted!" called out Frost. From the burning wreckage and smoke, a REX came stomping through, followed shortly by legions of other robots. What lay behind them they couldn't see but could imagine many more waiting for their turn to fight an already-long battle.

Among them, a MECU B spotted the heads of four Devs in front and snapped its rocket launcher up, and before Bell, Cog, Gelb, and Frost could react, the rocket was launched only for it to explode in midair, halfway between the advancing robots and the Devs.

"Um… what?" Bell wondered aloud, taken aback by the unexpected event. Apparently so was the robot who launched it. Its inner circuitry launched an inquiry regarding how it prematurely detonated. In fact, as it was busy wondering, it followed the same fate as its projectile. But this time, the four Devs saw a bright red beam as it flashed through the air to smite the robot with a fiery hole in its center mass, the white-hot slag proof of the sudden attack's effectiveness.

"... Uh, who did that? Cuz I don't think Santa can do that sort o' stuff," asked Cog.

Bell whipped her head behind her, in the relative direction where that laser came from. In her view, she immediately saw the buildings that Grün erected along with some of the room's boxes as well as her fellow Devs too caught up in their own fights to notice. In short, Bell wasn't quite sure what she was looking for to find out where -

The same red laser cut through the air, punching a hole through another robot and even taking out another two more right behind it. Another red beam sliced through the air, knocking out a REX's railguns with a single ricocheting shot. But even though the beam appeared for a split-second, Bell saw where it came from. Elevating her view, her gaze followed up a stack of containers and crates that remained intact during this whole fight and as her eyes reached the top, a small smile spread on Bell's face after taking a second to see who she was looking at.

* * *

From SPARK's perch, she saw Bell looking for her through her scope. When she noticed Bell smile, SPARK couldn't help but reciprocate the gesture, even if Bell couldn't see it.

But now it was back to work. SPARK raised her rifle up a few centimeters, aimed square at another MECU bot. This time, it and others were more active and lively in their movements, having been made aware of a sniper. At the same time, the four Devs below resumed their fight. Though the robots from a distance were making themselves a harder target, they were still in SPARK's line of sight.

And that was all she needed when she plugged another shot through the head of one of them as it attempted to dash across the open.

With the REX effectively disarmed, her four companions below now had a better fighting chance; they too must have sensed this as they pressed the counterattack. But as much as SPARK would've continued providing overwatch fire, there were other spots where her fire was needed.

She scanned around and stopped to notice pandemonium some distance away, with robots and robot parts being tossed around. She hefted her rifle over just in time to see a certain green-armored berserker shoot up high, a combat robot in her hand before dealing the mother of all chokeslams on said robot on the way down. A few robots closed in with weapons drawn, but their bullets did as much to stop BJ as rain would stop a runaway freight train.

Nevertheless, SPARK took aim despite BJ seemingly having the situation under control. She spotted a rifle-wielding robot that was obscured behind a broken steel beam and smoke, having not yet been one-punched by BJ. Despite this, it took SPARK only a half-second to figure out where exactly the robot could be before firing another ruby beam and nailing the target. A row of robots moved to converge on BJ and seeing as to how they were aligned, SPARK quickly whipped her rifle a bit to the side and fired.

Despite the fact that the beam did not hit a robot and instead struck the side of a metal container, the laser reflected rather than burn through. And at the precise angle SPARK was looking for, the beam rebounded off in such a way that it cut through all of the robots that were in a line. In a single stroke, SPARK scored another handful of kills.

The last thing SPARK saw as she swung her rifle once again was BJ looking around bewildered. While she sniped, SPARK realized that she had a clear view of one of the several passageways that the robots were using to enter. Through the thin wisps of smoke, she could see the wide entryway with its double-doors knocked aside as more robots poured through. She quickly centered her aim over a robot that was in the doorway and fired, scoring yet another kill and likely burned through another row of them that she couldn't see.

"My hit chances are irrelevant; it's your survival that is," SPARK whispered as she pulled back the charging lever, recharging her rifle and dispensing some of its heat. "And currently it has the lowest probability here."

A voice suddenly came up behind her. "Hey, can you do us a favor?"

Despite having no hint that someone would pop up behind her, SPARK didn't seem fazed. She figured that sooner or later someone would show up by her side. "And what would that be?" she asked, not even bothering to look at who it was.

Behind SPARK, Gelb and Bell quickly parted their ways with Gelb crouching down next to SPARK while Bell stepped back through the portal they had entered through, closing it behind her as she left. "See the passageways?" Gelb asked, pointing off to the distance, "See if you can block them off."

"Simple enough." SPARK aimed again at the passageway she saw and through the smoke and particles, managed to spot something snaking along the walls, running above the open corridor. SPARK enhanced her scope's view and immediately liked what she saw: a fuel line. She centered the reticle on top of the pipe that hung above the passageway and fired.

The laser struck the intended target, true as always. In an instant, the hot beam cut through the metal casing, igniting the volatile compound that surged through. An instant after, the entire pipe segment combusted, wiping away any nearby robot caught in the impressive blast. But more importantly - for everyone's sake - the explosion caused that part of the wall to cave-in, sealing the passageway as well as a couple more next to it.

Three down, a couple more to go. Unfortunately the safety valves cut the flow the moment the explosion was set off, preventing the entire pipe system in a vast underground complex from exploding and at the same time, ensuring that only one passageway was sealed. SPARK would have to either repeat that method or find alternatives to stop the robots.

Either way, the effect was evident in more ways than one: with a major source of the robots' reinforcement cut off, there was less of them to deal with. The loud explosion even caught the Devs' attention as they realized the implications.

"Huh. Not bad," quipped Grün as her wheelchair began packing itself back up. "Alright kids, picnic's ending. Get your asses in gear to the exit!"

Weaver swung her claymore from the ground, glad to hear some good news after all the time spent putting up barriers and fighting. "Alright! Get everyone to head over to the exit, make sure we don't leave anyone behind." She paused as she looked around to see who she could find. "Nitroplus, take care of Blau and Kreass! I'll go get BJ!"

SPARK and Gelb could see the others move about in preparation for the rush to the exit. Without wasting a word, they unanimously agreed to make haste but at the same time ensure that the robots would not interfere. SPARK immediately sniped another robot while Gelb methodically made her way down, directing SPARK's attention when necessary.

Frost, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat made it through the threshold, with Blau and Kreass in tow. Immediately after, Bell and Cog made it through with all the others safe and sound. Except…

"Where's SPARK and Gelb?" demanded Frost, "I know they're hard to notice but has anyone seen them?"

A bright red beam cut through the air, hitting something outside their view and catching their attention with its sharp distinct color. Nitroplus looked to where she last saw SPARK after she transformed but didn't see her. Rather, she brought her gaze down and saw two people trying to make their way to the exit.

"Meat! That's them!" Raw Meat piped up. Gelb and SPARK covered the last few meters as fast as there legs could go and made it through the doorway. But before they could all run deeper into their path of escape, SPARK grabbed Bell by the shoulder before she could go much further

"We need to seal the way," SPARK said quickly, "Get that explosive barrel here now."

Bell turned back to see what she was talking about and quickly found it sitting idly some distance away, the red markings a dead giveaway. She snatched up her gravity manipulator and yanked it hard towards her, even lifting it off the ground as it hurtled towards them. As Bell watched the barrel hurtle towards them, her view was partly blocked by SPARK as she step in front and aimed her rifle.

The barrel continued to rapidly fly towards them and right as it flew into the open doorway, SPARK nailed it in the center, blowing it and the entrance up, ensuring that they would not be followed. A split-second too soon and the two would've been caught in the blast.

"... Calculated," remarked Bell once her ears stopped ringing. She even gave a casual fist-bump to SPARK who returned the gesture.

From behind, Nitroplus and Raw Meat stood, witnessing the moment in awe. But now, Nitroplus sensed something stirring by her feet. Looking down, she saw Kreass groan as she contorted her expressions before slowly and painfully sitting up. "... Blimey, that hurt," she grumbled as she was coming to. And speaking of which, Blau was starting to regain conscious, rubbing her eyes open as though she was merely sleeping. As she too sat up, she looked around in complete confusion before her eyes landed on Nitroplus right in front of her.

"Nitry!" Blau squealed as if she was completely oblivious to the pain she would be from regaining consciousness. Her eyes lit up with twinkles as she began to pounce Nitroplus in a bear-hug. "My girl! Oh, how I missed -"

Further affectionate displays were cut short when a swift hand came smacking on the back of Blau's head, sending her sinking back down into unconsciousness ("... Yoouuuuu! Eh-heh-heh…!~~~"). Kreass glared at Blau as she retracted the hand she used to strike her with to dust herself off, muttering quietly about dirt, Blau, the state of which her fine clothes were, and Blau again.

"Oh! Um, you're awake. Are you alright?" Nitroplus asked, offering her hand. Kreass brushed it off as she stood on her feet.

"That will not be necessary." Kreass paused to glance down at Blau's once-again unconscious form. "Worry about her."

As Nitroplus sighed to pick Blau up again, Kreass was greeted to the sight of Bell and SPARK as they were walking past. Kreass gave a curt nod to Bell but found herself staring baffled at SPARK. While Bell went ahead, SPARK put her hand on Kreass's shoulder.

"Sorry about earlier. This'll be my way of making up to you." And with that, SPARK walked off after Bell to rejoin the others.

But Kreass continued to remain where she was, the baffled look persistent on her face as she blinked, trying to comprehend what happened. Before Nitroplus and Raw Meat could drag Blau off, they were stopped by Kreass.

"... Who is she?"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
_ _HistoricHippos:  
_ Holy wall of text, Batman! Note to self: try to avoid making long-ass chapters in the future.


	18. Chapter 17: Battle Boss Part 3

**Chapter 17: Battle Boss Part 3**

Everyone ran down the passageway, hopeful that it will lead them closer to the surface - to freedom. The long stretches of concrete and occasional doors and forking tunnels dampened that spirit, but soon Bell found something that she liked.

"Okay, sign says that a cargo lift should be that way!" All heads turned to the direction Bell pointed and followed after her.

Nitroplus and Raw Meat ran with the group as best they could, weighed down by having to carry Blau who was back to her sleepy dream-like state (also known as "getting smacked real hard on the head by falling debris or by an irate librarian"). "Meat! I can sense that we're on the right track!" squeaked Raw Meat, "We should be free at any time!"

"I… I hope so," gasped Nitroplus as she did her best to keep up but at the same time carry Blau on her back without her slipping off. "Honestly… I hope… she wakes… up."

An large banging sound was heard far ahead before the warped remains of a metal door was busted out of its frame, revealing the culprit to be more of the MECU robots as they stepped out into the open. "Target sighted," the first one said.

Not having anticipated this and being at the very front, Bell skidded to a stop as the robots turned to face her, weapons drawn. Acting quickly, she grappled the furthest one with her right arm-device and pulled the robot towards her. Normally, objects she pulled would only have empty air to contend with; but in this case, substitute "empty air" with "few unsuspecting robots" and the result was a comical scene of the furthest robot plowing into the others. Bell stepped out of the way, where the others easily dispatched them.

Additional noises echoed through the corridor. "The hell you kids waitin' for? Let's move it!" shouted Grün. The others continued to follow the signs for their next exit but now with a little more haste. They bolted through the corridor until Bell came to a stop, almost getting rear-ended by others behind her who barely skidded to a stop.

They now found themselves in an octagonal crossroad, with more hallways that stretched in all directions, all identical as the others. Glancing up, Bell spotted the sign that would lead them to the cargo lift, but before she and the others could take a step, robots entered their view from all the passageways, even coming from the same one they were once in.

Surrounded and exposed in a small space, Weaver quickly summoned shields that plugged all four corridors. The robots' attacks and even the robots themselves would not advance so long as the barriers held, but now they were stuck.

"What now?" Nitroplus asked, nervously glancing at all the robots that surrounded them.

"Shoot the hell our way out, that's what!" proclaimed Cog as she pointed her two guns in opposite directions. Similarly, the others all prepared for battle around her, with Bell plopping down all four upgraded sentries, Weaver sharpening her sword against her armor, and SPARK and Frost taking aim with their respective weapons. Unfortunately, due to the small interior space, Grün couldn't summon anything, instead forced to sit fuming idly amongst the others.

Kreass couldn't help but scoff. "You never change, do you, Cog? You will always fall short with such thinking" she said condescendingly, "... Very well. I suppose it cannot be helped. I will have to take things a little more… personally." And without further ado, she called upon her own Acclaim energy.

Where there were her fine shoes were replaced by tall leather antique boots, their rugged texture and wide layered rims exuded the wearer's commitment to the fight. A tricorne of a similar texture materialized for Kreass to snatch and wear in one swift precise movement. Finally an ornate longcoat swept over her silk vest, the trims and cuffs decorated with a slight purple tint and the rest adorned with gold buttons, ribbons, and epaulettes. The wide sweeping motion of the longcoat's tail finalized Kreass's transformation. All in all, an outfit befitting of both master and commander.

Kreass stepped forth from the disappearing light to survey the situation. They were still surrounded from all sides, and the barriers would not hold for long. She inspected the signs that would lead them to a way out and traced it to one of the passageways, also blocked by robots and the ever-weakening barrier. But if they played their cards right…

With all these factors in mind, a decision was reached.

"Frost, Cog, Weaver, BJ. When the barriers go down, I need you to force your way through that passageway, keep advancing until we reach that lift. The rest will defend from the rear whilst following us; Gelb, you'll assume command of our rearguard. Make sure to keep pace whilst ensuring that our enemies do not." Kreass strode ahead of the rest, stopping in front of the corridor which would take them to the surface.

The others looked at Kreass with varying degrees of confusion. "Who died an' made you the boss?" challenged Cog.

"Unless you have a better way of ensuring we make it out alive..." Kreass returned the retort with special emphasis on the last word. "... I recommend you shut it and allow the adults to take charge."

The barrier that would lead them to the lift cracked and shuddered with each impact of the robots' attacks. Nitroplus watched as Kreass calmly summoned her weapons, but rather than her typical flintlock pistol and rapier, a cavalry saber appeared in her right hand while her pistol was upgraded into a bulky cast-iron hand-held muzzle-loaded cannon.

Weaver stood by next to Kreass, watching the barriers steadily break. "So you're sure your plan will work? I mean, it's better than nothing."

Kreass smirked, as though she found the question somehow amusing. "Indeed, it is better than nothing. And that is why it will succeed, so long as none of us do anything foolish. I am Sovereign Invicta, and the time for total war has begun!"

Not really much of an inspiring - even if cliche - speech for the moment. But now was not the time to pick on it, as the barriers holding the robots at bay came to their breaking points. Kreass and those close to her braced to barge in towards the exit tunnel. Finally, after another thunder of impacts, the barrier ahead which kept the robots and Devs apart shattered.

As if on cue, BJ and Cog brushed past Kreass, quickly converting the robots that populated the passageway ahead into twisted metal and bullets, laughing merrily along the way. As they lead the charge, aggressively pushing through the defenses, Frost, Weaver, and Kreass followed close behind, with the latter staying somewhere in the middle to help coordinate with Gelb as their rearguard deterred the robots whilst proceeding down the passageway.

"Advance! To our destination!"

Their trail was heralded by shots and explosions, and Nitroplus did her best to keep up, taking care to not trip over the mangled remains of the robots. To distract their pursuers, Bell tossed down a sentry, one every few moments as per Gelb's suggestion. Grün loudly grumbled as her wheelchair attempted to navigate the mess that was the scrap-filled corridor before having to awkwardly dodge a spectral dragon that Weaver summoned to help fight the robots.

And while all this went on, Kreass kept herself in the middle of the group, shouting her instructions over the din. "You two, keep pushing forward! Do not stop for anything! Frost, ensure that they remain on the offensive! Gelb, keep up the rear guard!"

Soon, Nitroplus began to notice that the sounds of battle started to die down, with most of them now coming from behind. Their progress was also smoother, a sign of decreased resistance. So far, everything was going swimmingly. The group descended further into the concrete corridor, the signs of their exit still true.

"Hmm, we might have put them behind us," observed Kreass, still vigilant. "But no reason for us to lessen our advance. Keep moving."

Nitroplus exhaled as she peered behind her, seeing the others and the corridors that stretched behind them as much as it did ahead of them. She re-adjusted her grip on Blau as she was back to her dream-like state. Raw Meat continued to hang close to her, her cheery look persistent.

Bell walked up alongside Nitroplus, looking no worse for wear besides an expression of cautious certainty. "They might be behind us, but I doubt they would lose us that easily," she stated, "Hm. Do you hear something?"

Nitroplus gave Bell a puzzled look. "What do you mean? Right now it's just -" She paused. Just now, she felt something was not right. Raw Meat bobbed around a little more lively than usual - a sign that something was amiss. As Nitroplus stopped to even begin theorizing what might be going on, Nitroplus now heard it - and even felt it.

A low-pitched but loud rumbling sound reverberated through the corridor they were in, catching everyone's attention as they all stopped and looked up in alert. The sound intensified and soon not only was Nitroplus feeling the subtle vibrations but everyone could see it for themselves as dust sprinkled from the ceiling and cracks formed in the walls and ceiling around them.

Hearing the groaning of concrete, Bell had an awful feeling of deja vu and decided to act on it. "Move!" She sprinted past Nitroplus, pulling her towards her with her gravity manipulator in the nick of time as the ceiling began to fall apart. Everyone scrambled away as far as they could go as a huge chunk of the ceiling collapsed, crashing to where the middle of the group was a second ago. Deafening sound and dust clogged the narrow confines of the tunnel.

Bell sat back up, coughing up the cloud of dust, an action imitated by others. ' _I hate breathing in dust.'_ She blinked twice as she looked around her. Right next to her was Nitroplus on the ground as she still held onto Blau; the latter still in her sappy dreamy expression despite the fine coat of dust. Hearing a fit of coughing, Bell turned the other way to see Grün on her side, out of her wheelchair and cursing some colorful words. Gelb crept up from behind to help Grün up, and some movement caused Bell to glance up, seeing that Raw Meat was with them as well.

' _Okay, so...'_ Her trail of thought derailed as she cast her gaze towards where everyone cleared away from, and found herself staring at drab-colored debris that filled up the entire width of the corridor. No matter how she looked at it, there was nothing but heavy rubble that was once the ceiling. Bell's mind worked to figure out how one portion of the ceiling could have collapsed and she momentarily entertained the possibility that they ran into some kind of trap.

She raised her right arm and immediately the device buzzed. A portion of the debris twitched as it was being pulled, but as Bell feared, the rubble was too interlocked to be moved. All she could accomplish was merely grind the rocks against each other. If this really was a calculated trap, it was a well-sprung one.

"... you still there?" Bell jumped up upon hearing the faint voice and gingerly pressed her ear close to the debris.

"I think we're all fine. Just on the wrong side of the collapsed corridor. You?"

"Every… accounted for… find an alternate… We'll meet you there!"

Bell and the others with her heard the reply and though some words were lost in transmission, none enjoyed the implications. Bell turned to face the others and everyone (save for Blau and Raw Meat) had a solemn expression.

"Great. Just great," spoke Grün as she was busy still dusting herself off. "I get stuck with you twinkletoes 'til we find another exit. This oughta be fun."

Nitroplus looked at each and everyone with worried glances. "Will there even be an alternate route?"

Behind them, the faint clatter of metal could be heard, all discordant and coming closer. The entire stretch of the corridor remained vacant, but they all knew it would not stay that way for long.

The sounds came louder - closer - as they continued standing in tense anticipation. Raw Meat fluttered about agitatedly. "Meat! We need to get to finding a new exit!" Nitroplus looked at Raw Meat, then at Bell, Gelb, and Grün. With the robots closing in, they were at a serious disadvantage. Nitroplus was silently considering unsheathing her own weapons to help fight even if it meant sacrificing Blau until Gelb walked past, her bright yellow jacket seemingly illuminating against the solid concrete background.

Nitroplus watched Gelb with a mix of curiosity and confusion. "... Gelb?"

Her question was met with no response from Gelb who instead continued staring ahead in silence. Though other people had little idea of what went through her head, Gelb's mind was filled with activity. ' _There's only four of us, including me, who can help fight. There's dozens - many of them.'_ She paused to quickly consider the situation. ' _We need to find an alternate path now. And we need something to help us to expedite that. Which means...'_

She concentrated, trying to bring out her own Acclaim energy. She felt the happiness of her past flow through only for…

' _...! No, I… It's her… I don't - All the time together, it… it hurts to remember...'_ The power wavered hesitantly, and for a split-second Gelb considered not going through with it to save herself from the suffering. She'll reconsider; she'll have to come up with another way to escape, to help her friends.  
Friends…

Memories of her encounter with them flashed through her mind. When she inadvertently met Nitroplus on that beach, when she bumped into them while en route to fight off the monsters, when they brought her along to meet the other Devs and see sights and places she hadn't seen…

And then, her Acclaim surged forth again, this time Gelb willingly accepted it.

For a while, she had suppressed her emotions and feelings to protect herself. But now she needed to protect others, even if it was painful.

Light washed over her and likewise, so did a thick black trenchcoat. One by one, shiny gold pauldrons covered her shoulders with their thick round frames; round gold armor sheathed her legs from the knees down in ornate protection; finally, her hands and forearms were clad in bulky armor, her fists gold and more hefty than normal. The appearance of an imposing black commissar cap signified the finality of her transformation, now a figure of eternal war, whether it be of a mundane era or the fantastical dark future.

Gelb looked down at her submachine gun that remained in her hand, now oversized and making the SMG look like a toy by comparison. Rather than dispose of it, she tossed it to Grün.

"Use it; you'll need it." With her hands now bare, Gelb now summoned her own weapon worthy of her GGA form: an enormous warhammer with a hulking squarish head. What it lacked in elegance, it far made up for it in size and instinctive power.

Grün chuckled as she cocked Gelb's former SMG, glad to actually have her hands on a gun. Bell took in Gelb's new appearance and liked what she saw. "Huh. Not bad," Bell complimented, "Okay. So, the cargo lift's out." She paused as she thought. "This place has to have some way of going up or down the old-fashioned way, like stairs or ramps. We can try looking for something like that."

Gelb gave her warhammer a quick twirl before settling it firmly in her two hands. "Then it is settled! We will find such route, but we must do so with haste! I will take the lead. Bell, stay with Nitroplus and Grün; if they fall behind, use your devices. We all need to stay together."

Nitroplus looked at Gelb with an astounded look. Before, she was distant. But this time it was as if she was looking at a completely different person. Unlike her relative flat and quiet voice from before, Gelb's voice was booming and deafening by comparison. It almost shocked Nitroplus that she could be so assertive and vocal.

In the hallway ahead, a trio of robots suddenly came into view, having inadvertently caught up to them. The leader of the three swung its head in search of the Devs until its gaze landed on them, after which the three moved in unison to attack. Gelb swung her hammer around over her head, its heavy mass reverberating through the air though Gelb hefted it around with ease.

She brought it down to the ground in front of her despite their enemies still being some distance off. But upon impact, the hammer created a rippling shockwave that tore the floor in front of her asunder with a thundering roar. The wave funneled through the corridor where the only path would be where the robots were. One second, they were there, and the next they were not, having been tossed aside like ragdolls.

Gelb hoisted the hammer back up. "As is my title, none will stand before Banehammer Striker's fury. Onward! - _To victory!_ "

* * *

Kreass peered around the corner of a doorway, moving briskly when she deemed it clear. Following behind was Frost, Weaver, SPARK, Cog, and BJ. Since forcibly separated from the others, they had not encountered any MECUs. But there was only a matter of time before they ran into more of them. They would not celebrate just yet.

Cog groaned as she glanced slightly behind her. "...'Ol Belly better find that exit." It didn't feel right, having to leave the others behind to the what was certainly their pursuers with no certainty of an alternate escape route.

"They will." Kreass did not even turn to look as she replied. "She has Gelb by her side; if I recall, she will have no difficulty directing a small contingent."

She paused as she checked the signs to make sure they were headed down their intended path. Right now, they appeared to be in a wider passageway, faint marks on the floor as though a vehicle moved in and out regularly. "But what is important is that we keep moving. A checkmate only occurs once the king has run out of escape options."

Cog merely huffed in response, having nothing else to say other than complaints. She would have remained restless had SPARK not laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Cog peered up (more than when SPARK was in her normal form) and though no words were exchanged, Cog could feel SPARK's reassurance. Cog breathed and let herself ease up a bit - she just needs to place faith on Bell and the rest.

The group continued progressing until Kreass stopped. Directly ahead lay another open room. The sign ended and another indicated that they were at their destination. In the center of the open space lay a blank space where a heavy-duty lift would normally be. And next to it was a control panel; a simple scheme of one large button. Kreass pressed the button that would call the lift down to their floor. They were close, their escape was within grasp.

… Or maybe not. Kreass and the others waited, but nothing came down. Kreass pressed the button again, this time with more impatience. Again, nothing happened. Faint sounds of clanking metal could be heard - none of them involving the lift and all of it foreboding news. Kreass looked up at the open void above, the lift rails and multiple stories above them. And at the very top, just at the boundaries of natural eyesight…

' _... Bollocks!'_ Just as she feared, the lift itself was stuck at the very top. Or rather, as Kreass decided to examine the control panel more closely, the lift controls at their level were seemingly broken.

"Problem?" Frost walked alongside Kreass, looking up just as she did. "... As a matter of fact, yes," replied Kreass, none too pleased. "The blasted lift is stranded at the top and the controls appear inoperable." She kicked the controls, half expecting it to somehow correct itself and half out of spite.

"It is stuck up there unless there is someway to access its controls and bring it down to us."

Kreass glanced back, the clattering sounds of metal persisting. It was becoming clear that the robots were on their way. Worse, the same noise could be heard ringing from above, from the various floors above them. Once again, they were cornered - from behind and above. She leafed through various defensive formations and strategies in her head until she noticed that Frost next to her hadn't moved.

"Frost?"

Her question was left unanswered. Instead, white light surrounded Frost. Within that light, Frost summoned her own Acclaim energy, and it responded in the form of angular and flat composite-armor pieces that surrounded her upper torso, arms, and legs. A set of wide triangular wings and boosters were festooned to her back, the flaps and thrusters moving back in forth in preparation. Her patrol cap had vanished and in its place was a sturdy helmet adorned with a sophisticated monocle-like eyepiece.

Frost stepped forth from the light, a light machine gun with modified with tactical gear materialized where her assault rifle once was. Transformation complete, she resembled a veteran soldier, master of both land and air, the personification of combined arms warfare.

Frost examined the stuck lift at the top, courtesy of her hi-tech eyepiece. Through the zoomed-in image, the various displays in her HUD informed her that the lift was functional - all it needed was an operator.

She looked to her side and met Kreass's astonished gaze. "I can fly up to the lift and bring it down for us."

A plan formed in Kreass's mind as she grasped Frost's proposition. A curious raise of her eyebrow supplanted her astonished look. "Well… that's awfully convenient of you."

Frost took Kreass's indirect response as an affirmative and began warming up her jet thrusters. The booster engines whined in increasing power, building up her anticipated strike. When the boosters gave the affirmation that they were at full power, Frost braced her legs.

"Warzone Alpha: taking off!" Frost declared before she leapt up, activating her jet boosters and instantly launching her up, up, and away at high speed. She shot through the empty shaft, her goal straight ahead.

* * *

The others save for Kreass gaped at the sight of Frost flying up, having been attracted to the sound of turbine engines.

"Oh great, did that gal just go Puzz Lightyear on us, flyin' like that?" Cog asked with incredulity.

"Puzz what?" spat Kreass whose face winced upon hearing a ridiculous name and what possible connection it might have (Pro-tip: don't go around spouting pop-culture references near her). "Whatever. She's on her way to get the lift down. Until then, we need to hold our ground. The automatons will surely come from where we came from and they may come from above!"

Just now, the first few of the robotic soldiers turned up at the passageway they came through previously, weapons at the ready and optics on the alert. One of their heads turned to their direction and instantly, the others were alerted to their presence and moved to combat formation.

"Well, speak of the devil..." muttered Weaver as she readied her sword. Cog and BJ hoisted their respective weapons, eager to do more damage while SPARK simply took aim. The lead robot took one step forward before its head was pierced by SPARK's shot. Undeterred, the robots kept advancing, attacking while they could.

Weaver conjured up another one of her protective barriers while the others attacked back. As the skirmish began, Kreass looked up at the trapped lift and Frost once more, silently allowing herself to hope that she could bring the lift down without resistance.

* * *

Over the loud whine of the engines and the rushing wind, Frost spotted additional combat robots crowding all the floors above where the others were. With her flying up through the open shaft, they spotted her in return. She banked left, right, any direction as bullets and rockets flew past. Worse, her presence seemed to have drawn the robots to her comrades down below, and some of the MECU soldiers even went so far as to casually jump down several stories.

Frost rolled over midair and sprayed an area with her light machine gun. She didn't linger around to confirm her hits as the robots swiftly returned fire, their shots lancing all around the air. Kicking the engines into high gear, Frost swerved and swooped back up - the lift was her main objective.

She continued flying up until a vast shadow fell upon her: a MECU REX which managed to squeeze its way through the upper levels had somehow decided to jump down belly-flop style. Whether it was some attempt to squash her or join the battle down below, she couldn't tell. Probably both, as she would hurtle straight into it.

Frost had a split-second to think, so she braced herself. She slammed into the falling REX's underbelly, slowing its descent drastically but also slowing her ascent. Wincing at the dent mark she left on the REX, Frost wrested it away to the side, bowling over several robots who happened to be in the way. Before resuming her flight, Frost raised her left arm and over the armored part, a slender cylindrical cannon materialized. She aimed it at the stricken REX and after her eyepiece greenlit the ideal firing solution, a high-velocity sabot round was shot. The REX's belly was punctured and in its destruction, a large segment of the floor it was on became an inferno.

Satisfied with the eliminated threat, the tank gun dematerialized and Frost swerved around and continued flying up, dodging enemy fire and bodies while at the same time attempting to thin their numbers. She shot straight past the stuck lift and dropped down, landing on the metal floor with a loud thud (all that special accessory that her GGA form came with definitely had to weigh something).

Frost hurried to the control console which was identical to the one down far below. She pressed a button, and to her relief, it lurched before descending with a grinding metallic creak. Mission accomplished, she leaned over the railing to see how things were. The fact that her view was clouded by red thanks to the innumerable amount of hostile contacts in her HUD told her everything she needed to know.

* * *

Down below, a MECU A stumbled under the hail of bullets before another one struck it in its head, finishing it off with a decapitating critical hit.

"BOOM SHAKA-LAKA!" Cog whooped as she poured endless gunfire down the passageway. It seemed as though there was as much bullets as there was particles in the air as the robots' advance down the two-way corridor stalled. A robot that somehow managed to remain intact in the onslaught peeked around only for it to be promptly shot by a red beam.

"Seems like he received the denouncement," remarked SPARK. The bullet hose that Cog was throwing down was stifling the robots in an effective, if crude, way. Nothing like the precision that SPARK preferred.

"Above us! We have more of these contraptions coming from above!" Everyone looked up to hear Kreass's shouts and lo and behold, the robotic foot soldiers fell into view, landing on the hard floor in varying degrees of finesse while the shaft above were filled with more of them. A nearby robot attempted to raise its weapon only for BJ to casually rip its firing arm off with ease. "Ha! The more, the merrier!"

Weaver was nowhere as ecstatic as she turned her focus away from the passageway. "Ah, jeez."

A robot almost fell on top of Kreass before she sliced it with her saber and kicked the remains away; another was about to fall on top of her before it was swatted out of the sky by a laser. Kreass glanced up, seeing almost nothing but the robots taking the metaphorical express elevator down to where they were. With the robots combing from behind and all over them from above, she needed to change their strategy.

"Cog, you hold down the corridor! Everyone else: get away from the open shaft!"

Everyone crowded by the entrance until they were all practically back-to-back as robots continued to rain down the shaft. Though they managed to destroy some of them in mid-fall, it wasn't enough to stop some of them (or their scrap parts) from falling around them.

"Ha ha! Let the bodies hit the floor!" laughed BJ who simply took to punching the robots left and right before they could even fall to the floor. The few robots that managed to land intact were quickly dispatched by Weaver and Kreass, with the former's sword lancing out all over the place in zig-zag paths while the latter dealt with the robots more conventionally.

Behind them all, the roar of Cog's two machine guns remained loud and constant. "Howdy parnder! Try some of my product! It's BUY ONE, GET A HUNDRED FREE!"

' _Ugh. Of all the people I have to contend with...'_ Judging by their current situation, Kreass could see that they were holding their own. The threat of being overrun was not apparent… yet. But though they were relatively comfortable with their current defenses, Kreass would _greatly_ appreciate it if the cargo lift already made its way down…

The faint sound of creaking metal brought her attention upward and to her relief, Kreass saw the lift slowly approach them, with Frost on top contributing to the fight. As the lift came close, Frost motioned to the others.

"Our exfil's here! Get onboard!" Frost returned to firing at every robot she could see. The arrival of their escape elevator was not unnoticed by everyone (with a slight exception with Cog and BJ who were too caught up in their respective acts and had to be forcibly interrupted by SPARK and Weaver respectively). Everyone clambered up to the metal platform and without wasting another split-second, Kreass mashed the button to take them up.

The lift lurched again and began to crawl its way upward. But the circumstances were even more tricky this time, as the lift left the Devs bereft of cover against the robots who were present in all the floors.

"Weaver! Shields!" barked Kreass. More translucent barriers were propped up all around them as they slowly made their way up. Everyone used the opportunity to continue shooting back at the robots, with plenty of mayhem and collateral damage along the way. Seeing as how their enemies were everywhere, everyone seemed to be more liberal with their aim.

All the way to the top did the lift go despite the battle that went on all around it. Thankfully, Weaver made sure that the shields also protected the vital components of the lift as well as reinforce them, as they steadily made their way up despite the robot's resistance. Eventually, the robot's numbers waned and as Kreass observed, not just because they've collectively destroyed so much, but because most of them were down below. The MECUs who could've fought were now out of reach of the Devs.

The lift lurched to a stop, signaling that they had made it to the upper levels. Kreass turned to the others. "Level the shaft with explosives. Let us bury them behind us."

Next to her, Frost nodded and brought up her armcannon; seeing this, Cog and BJ hoisted whatever they had that could cause a big bang. Immediately after, everything happened at once: the entire chasm was engulfed in deafening explosions of orange and blinding green hues before smoke and dust choked the shaft. Everyone backed away as dust erupted upward, momentarily blinding everyone in coughing soot.

But soon, the sounds subsided and so did the dust cloud. Looking over the edge, they were greeted not to the sight of the a chasm that stretched far below the earth, but an unrecognizable mess of shattered concrete, steel supports, and rubble. It was blatant collateral damage, but it wasn't like they didn't make a mess in other places of the Azure Crypt.

Cog waved in a mocking good-bye. "Hasta la vista, baby!"

Frost peered down the clogged chasm, letting herself admire their handiwork and agreeing to Cog's sentiment. "Oorah."

Kreass and SPARK turned away from the shaft, content to continue making progress and saw Weaver standing to the side, almost as if she was thinking… or sensing something.

"Is something wrong?" SPARK asked; the exact question that was in Kreass's mind. Weaver turned to face them, a positive expression of her face the clue that something was good for once. "The air up here definitely feels different. If I'm not mistaken, we're definitely close to the surface… _Very_ close."

For once, Kreass let herself smirk. "Marvelous. Let us press onward, but remain on guard. There could be more surprised awaiting us." As the others eagerly walked past, restless to return to the surface, Kreass started to follow suit. But she momentarily stopped herself, glancing behind her at the lip of the shaft that they had just buried.

' _The others had better found a way up here,'_ she thought, ' _This farce has gone on long enough.'_

* * *

MEANWHILE…

A MECU A found itself violently thrown against the wall, coming to a slump before it was smashed to oblivion under Gelb's warhammer. Another MECU within melee range met a similar fate as its pancaked form slapped against the opposite wall.

"Come on! Show me what passes for _fury_ among your misbegotten kind!" Gelb shouted with the passion of a bloodthirsty exterminator. A third robot managed to fire off a few shots that accomplished nothing but plink off her large domed shoulder pauldron before Gelb charged into it, knocking the automaton off its feet before Gelb dropped the hammer on its torso.

As Gelb jogged onward, Bell followed close behind. "Yeah, I'm sure that this hallway should have something for us. Well, something besides another janitor closet!" Behind her was Nitroplus who continued to lug around Blau. Raw Meat fluttered by her side.

"Meat! There should definitely be an exit here! I can feel it!"

Bell paused to glance around, seeing nothing but the identical concrete corridors occasionally lined with doors that went who knows where. She frowned in response to Raw Meat's claim. "Well I sure hope so. We're running out of places that _don't_ have dead robots."

Behind Nitroplus was Grün who rolled backwards after them, submachine gun in hand as she deterred stragglers. It wasn't easy, as she had to keep one hand on the controls for her wheelchair. But despite this handicap, she managed to hold her own, much to Nitroplus's relief.

"We're close! We're close to a good exit!" loudly announced Raw Meat. In the brief respite they managed to win, all heads were turned in her direction.

"What do you mean? Where?"

Raw Meat bobbed up and down with agitation, like an overly-excited child already hooped up on sugar. "Just keep going straight and take the next left!"

Bell and Gelb exchanged confused looks before the pair shrugged and decided to follow the advice. Like before, Gelb took the lead, occasionally glancing back to make sure that the others were keeping up. So far, with the robots bearing down on them, they've managed to avoid being cornered by them.

Which meant, to Nitroplus's chagrin, involved plenty of running as they were doing right now.

To Gelb's left was a sealed entrance, just as Raw Meat claimed. The door, judging by its general appearance, was like any other: bland, drab, but this one was labeled with an undecipherable string of letters and numbers. Everyone but Raw Meat was unsure of what made this particular door special but Raw Meat seemed to be excited even more.

"I knew it, meat! That's the door that should lead us to the surface, meat!"

Bell gave Raw Meat a perplexed look. For all she knew, this would not take them to where they needed to go. But then again, there was a chance that it could lead somewhere, whether it was a cake or neurotoxin factory that the Azure Crypt just so happened to have.

She grasped the door handle and pulled, only to find that it didn't budge. ' _Must be locked shut... Unless I was actually supposed to push it. Then I would look real stupid.'_ Bell took a step back and motioned for the others to do the same. She aimed her right arm at the door, the three prongs extending in anticipation. And instead of using on her gravity manipulator to attract objects, Bell instead applied the opposite effect to repel an object with a blast of force. The door buckled in its frame once before giving in at the second attempt.

"Excellent work," remarked Gelb after peering into the empty void to see their path ahead, "Ever onwards! Let -" Her words were interrupted as a MECU robot appeared in the corner of her vision. She swing around to face it only for it to have its weapon already raised; Nitroplus, with Blau on her back, and Bell in harm's way -

The bang of gunfire was heard and time almost seemed to sit still. A second later, the robot slowly fell over, still frozen in its attempt to shoot with bullet holes in its upper torso.

Grün tossed away her spent cigar, it smoking like the gun in her hand. "... And that was _left-handed_ too! You kids can thank me later." She shook the submachine gun as though she could tell something was off and then tossed it aside. And then, they all heard the faint familiar sound of clanking footsteps.

"Move!" Gelb forcefully ordered. Everyone filed through the doorway, finding themselves in a hallway all-too familiar as the ones they were in. There were subtle differences but nothing that clued in as to where this path led. As Bell ran after Raw Meat who took the lead, she wondered how exactly some place like this is supposed to be their exit. So far, they were still deep underground; at no point did they encounter stairs or even a ramp to get closer to the surface.

Finally, they came upon a large blast door that Raw Meat had stopped by. Panting, Bell quickly studied the door, trying to figure out what its purpose was or what was behind it. But she was left with no clue, other than being large enough for a dragon to waddle through. ' _Oh screw it. It's not like I should expect the red carpet treatment right now.'_ She promptly went to looking for a switch and pulled it without second thought. The door shuddered and groaned open and everyone braced for a battle.

As the blast doors opened and the group stepped through, only the sight of an expansive room greeted them. With the vast space and other identical blast doors along the walls, Bell first thought they had entered a vacant storage room with the concrete walls. But what puzzled her was the complete lack of content. But as she looked around more, her eyes laid on the opposite end of the room and saw…

' _... A ramp?'_ Bell recognized the sight of an angular pathway as wide as a road going up past the ceiling. ' _And one that goes_ upward _?! Well about damn time!'_

"Where is this?" asked Nitroplus. Bell considered what she saw and then had a small epiphany. "I think this is some kind of indoor parking lot. Or some kind of place where they would move stuff in and out the old-fashioned way. And if that's the case, then -"

"Then that should lead us outside!" finished Raw Meat.

Grün gave a hearty laugh. "Well I'll be damned! Let's get rollin' then, what're we waiting for!"

* * *

After a couple minutes of more walking, the it was already apparent that this particular section of the Azure Crypt was certainly more grand than expected. Each floor was the same wide expansive area devoid of practically anything besides emptiness and the air of tense anticipation. Bell must have glanced behind her for what must have been the fourth time, half-expecting some of their pursuers to suddenly turn up. Everyone was anxious in their own ways, their paranoia not helped due to the fact that they had to essentially walk all the way to the surface - all several floors.

Nitroplus grunted as she readjusted her grip on Blau. She was starting to feel the brunt of carrying a full-grown person while running for what seemed like an hour. "Do you… do you think we can… rest for a bit?"

Gelb quickly checked the area but for now, they were still in the clear. "Very well. We'll make it quick. In the meantime, see if you can get her to come to."

Nitroplus was almost all too glad to be relieved of having to piggyback someone but gingerly laid Blau on the ground. Examining her face, Nitroplus could see that a dreamy look persisted on Blau's face with the occasional incomprehensible murmurs. Nitroplus loomed over Blau before tentatively poking her forehead.

"Blau?... Blau!" She poked again, this time with a little more force, but she accomplished nothing more than make Blau wince before rolling over in her subconsciousness. Nitroplus sighed as Raw Meat watched. Suddenly, another shadow loomed over Blau.

"Kid, lift her up for me, eh?" Nitroplus turned to see Grün behind her, motioning to Blau. Nitroplus propped Blau to sit up after which Grün promptly slapped Blau across the face. The move caught Nitroplus by surprise but she was amazed to see that Blau hadn't stirred. If anything, see seemed unfazed. Sighing with exasperation, Grün motioned to Nitroplus to prop Blau up again.

And again, Grün whacked Blau across the face, this time with a little more force such that it apparently produced a soft rumble.

"Um, Grün?" Nitroplus was concerned with the seeming force that was added to that last slap. "Did you really have to slap that hard?"

But for some reason, Grün seemed a little confused herself. "Look kid, I'm a hardass but I that couldn't have been me." At that point, the same exact rumbling sound happened again, but this time Grün clearly didn't do anything. At once, everyone scrambled for battle but Grün merely remained where she was, taking the time to light another cigar. If anything, she seemed unperturbed. "Ugh. I knew it."

One of the shutter doors that lined the walls was torn asunder as a MECU REX stepped out, accompanied by the smaller models. Then another door was knocked over, revealing more robots who had finally tracked down the last remaining Devs. And the Devs in question were caught right in the middle, completely exposed to the crossfire.

"Oh crap..." was all that Bell could comment as the implications sunk in. A similar expression bore on Nitroplus's face and a grim look was on Gelb's face (Raw Meat continued to exhibit her cartoony smile). Grün, meanwhile, had a more annoyed look, angrily puffing her stogie. "Alright, that's it."

Nitroplus turned around, unsure of what she meant. "Wha - what?"

"You kids just had to jinx it, didn't ya? Tch. I guess they don't make Devs the way they used to." She paused as she tore her cigar from her mouth and threw it down by her limp feet. "Guess that means I'll have to pull your asses out of the fire!"

Light surrounded Grün as she transformed. Technically, her wheelchair did the transformation, building around her legs and feet, morphing along her back and making its way to her arms, assisting her with mechanical empowerment. Two cannons sprung up from her back, nestling right above her shoulders. Grün reached out with her arms and her goddess powers granted her a gatling cannon on each arm. The influx of her Acclaim energy flowed through her, the memories of her glory days coming back. The days when she was at her prime; the days when she could stand tall on her own. And just like that, she did, stepping out of the light in her GGA form now a figure of battlefield devastation, courtesy of her wheelchair-turned power armor.

Nitroplus did a double-take as she looked at Grün's new form, realizing that she was actually walking. "Grün, you're… you're actually walking!"

An armored boot stomped on the spent cigar on the ground, grinding it flat. "Course I can, kid! And I tell ya, I never felt better! _Damn_ better!" By now, the robot army had surrounded them and were ready to charge. Grün merely chuckled at them, as though entertained by something that was already beneath her. "Hmph! They think they're tough, having an army of their own! I'll show 'em what a real army looks like!"

She stomped her foot with enough force to crack the concrete beneath her. And with intensity rivalling that move, a miniature factory instantly rose from the ground, along with several of her usual twin-barreled tanks and bomber blimps. And at the same time, several small poles rose from the ground right in front of the robots. Before their circuits could comprehend their sudden presence, those same circuits were fried as a series of white-hot electricity formed a perimeter around the Devs and instantly wiping out the closest robots.

And it was at this point that all mayhem broke loose, as Grün shot forward ahead of her units. Her shoulder cannons, identical to the ones that her tanks used, blasted away at the robots nearest to her, reducing them to scraps with violent force. The ones she couldn't blow away, she peppered them with her arm-mounted gatlings, which shredded metal with merciless fire. The whole action was unreal, so much that music would complete the experience; in fact, the others did note that music was heard, coming from Grün's own playlist of her favorite tracks.

Much to Nitroplus's astonishment, the same Dev she had viewed as fierce but crippled was moving with uncharacteristic speed, making leaps and bounds with her legs. She watched as Grün kicked and dodged all with her personal army by her side and with a wide grin on her face.

She had never seen Grün look quite so… happy before.

Grün turned to face a REX that was distracted by a couple tanks, and with a forceful yell and motion of her hand, a small patch of earth by her feet opened up via a metal hatch. The open abyss erupted smoke and a second later a missile was launched, shooting straight up high before coming down as a harbinger of armageddon. It crashed upon the REX whereupon a bright orange miniature mushroom cloud took its place (yes, this all happened within the room they were in).

If silence was a sound, it would be Grün's rock 'n roll and metal soundtrack that continued to play as the dust settled over a scrap-filled ground. She turned to face the Devs who apparently stood by where they were, seeing as how Grün had single-handedly finished the job. Out of all of them, it was Nitroplus and Raw Meat who were in awe; the rest were varying degrees of amusement.

Grün couldn't help but laugh at her handiwork and the reactions that Nitroplus had. "I'm Commander Conqueror, and this was my favorite ass-kickin' of this week!" She then reached into her jacket and cranked up the volume, head-banging to her audacious and loud victory theme.

It was at this moment that Blau suddenly sat up, shouting and almost smacking into Nitroplus. "... aaaaaAAAAAH! Clippy, you didn't inform me that today's performance audition involved metal!"

The sudden reawakening caused Nitroplus to jump before she realized what had happened. "Blau, you're awake!" Blau's eyes darted up at Nitroplus, panic in her eyes rather than her usual affection. "Nitry! Quick, where's Jenkins?! I clearly told him to stick to the plan, that the metal genre would not be part of today's performance and that -"

Raw Meat smacked her across the face. As if by magic, Blau's mental state did a complete hard reset as she blinked twice. By now, her train of thought was beginning to pull into the station and Blau looked around in a dazed state.

"Um… what did I miss?" she asked, finding herself in an unrecognizable place and looking at the other three Devs who had already transformed. The last part caused her to jump with a start, shaking off whatever weariness she had after just coming to.

"Preposterous!" she shouted shrilly, "I, Blau, could not have been put out of commission for _THAT_ long!"

A flat expression etched on Bell's face. "Yeah, you did."

"Oh, woe is upon me! How could I be neglected for almost _two chapters_? _TWO_?! This is an outrage! I will have to find some way to file a lawsuit to the author for leaving such a Dev extraordinaire like me hanging!"

"Blau!" Nitroplus's call caused Blau to turn, thankfully interrupting her tirade. "Now might not be the best time. We still need to get moving!" As she spoke, echoes of rhythmic stomping metal could be heard (Grün thankfully turned down her music). But before anyone could get more than a few paces in, more robots came into view, coming from the sides, ahead of their path, and from behind.

Once again, everyone braced for another large battle, perhaps one larger than the previous one. But Blau's reaction was anything but apprehensive. "Oh, oh! Does this look like what I think it is? I think we all do!" Blau's eyes were filled with sparkles as she spoke. Before anyone could open their mouth to respond, Blau performed a quick twirl. "Oh-hohoho! It's high time for Blau to shine!"

Nitroplus and Raw Meat watched as Blau once again struck another pose, this time with finger pointing dramatically towards the ceiling, the effect amplified by the convenient placement of an overhead light. Somehow, for some reason, Nitroplus and Raw Meat felt as though they were actually looking up to Blau, as though she had somehow went higher. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the world outside had become insignificant, as even the hostile robots had paused to witness the sheer oddity of what Blau had in store.

"Hear me, ladies, gentlemen, goddesses, and Bell! Be prepared to be dazzled! To be amazed! To be impressed! And all other forms of emotions that I cannot list right now but no doubt you may experience as I, Blau, top Dev of all of the PC Continent, demonstrate to you my power!"

Quietly, from behind Bell and Grün were ready to smack Blau on her head until Gelb's armored fist stopped them, shooting both a look of disapproval. Oblivious, Blau continued. "And I shall not be denied this time! I, Blau, shall prove what puts me above everyone else! That being..."

White light surrounded Blau as she finally had her time to shine. Though she already wore an ornate and flowing blue yukata, an even more lavish robe was donned over her, with the color to match but accompanied by animate lines of bright sky-blue that flowed over the clothing in intricate circuitry-like lines. Bits and pieces of small metallic armor appeared over her hips and upper torso, their appearance a clear futuristic aesthetic compared to the robe's more magical appeal. With a swipe of her hand covering the top of her head with a hood, Blau's GGA transformation was complete.

"… _Presentation_!" she proclaimed, striking another pose once again. "What'd you think? Amazing, right?"

The only ones not expressing an unamused emotion was Nitroplus and Raw Meat. "Um, I… guess it was -"

"Well of course it was! It was worth the wait after all!" Blau shouted excitedly, oblivious to the fact that not only did she interrupt Nitroplus but the fact that she was giddy as a kite in front of everyone, including the robots.

It took a not-so-friendly prod from Bell to get Blau to realize what she was doing. "... Oh, right! Of course you would like a demonstration, do you not?" (Bell gagged without her noticing) "Very well, I shall grant you the first taste!" She twirled in place once before clapping twice.

A blue aura illuminated her silhouette as semi-transparent mirror images of her began sliding out from her left and right. The ghostly images of Blau then solidified, becoming tangible, until everyone could see that they looked exactly like Blau who remained where she was. In fact, it might be fair to say that they were all Blau - she duplicated several of herself.

The original Blau moved and at once, so did all her duplicates. And when she spoke, they all spoke in unison with her voice. "Be astounded! Be stupefied! Be in awe at my unrivaled talent that I, Stormbringer Legend, shall provide!" The duplicates all moved and sang before stopping for a pose as though Blau was performing some kind of musical play.

The others, Bell and Grün especially, were speechless at the bizarre moment. Bell quietly groaned as she face-palmed. "... I… I can't even..."

Blau and her doppelgangers all turned to face the robot army (which by the way witnessed the whole thing and they themselves were unsure how to comprehend what they saw). She summoned her weapons, an even larger sword and a more bulky laser pistol, and pointed the sword towards the robots. "Prepare yourself, for I, Blau, shall give you a thorough thrashing with my skill and finesse!"

At once, all the Blaus charged off. They met the robots in both melee and ranged, frequently switching between the two and all the while, prancing or teleporting around, leaving the robots in disarray. Each of Blau's doppelgangers were like a piece of the original: not only did they look and sound like her, each was as skilled as she was. They were capable of moving in synch as they were at moving independently.

While the robots were distracted, Gelb and Grün used the opportunity to partake in the fight, Gelb smiting the automatons apart with mighty blows from her hammer while Grün went back to working crushing the opposition with her mechanized rushes. Nitroplus and Bell went to work picking off stragglers but it was clear that Blau and Grün were doing the heavy-lifting.

One of Grün's laser obelisk vaporized something some distance off. Blau (the original one) noticed it and merely scoffed. "Oh-ho-ho! Don't think you're the only one with tricks like that!" She took aim at a REX with her enhanced pistol, but this time it charged up, trembling more and more with power as a muzzle glowed red. Finally the capacity hit its limit and let go, releasing a ton of stored energy in that one shot that struck the REX head-on and knocking it over.

Blau spun and did a V-sign with her fingers at Grün's direction. "Ha! How'd you like that?"

Grün merely spat in response. "Pah! Not even close, show-off!" She then felt someone's elbow nudging her back and turned to see one of Blau's clones, clearly displeased. "Ugh! Excuse me! I, Blau, will have you know that with someone as skilled and magnificent as me I can handle even things you can do, like strategy -"

She never got another word off before Grün punched her in the face. "Keep dreamin', punk! I've crafted my form ever since you little snots were still being potty-trained! Think you're on my level? Well there can only be _ONE_ supreme commander here!"

A heavy impact was heard somewhere nearby, punctuated with the limp forms of various robots being flung about like salad dressing. "Kills for the kill god! Scraps for the scrap throne!" shouted Gelb. Elsewhere, Bell and Nitroplus fought back-to-back. And everywhere one looked, there were Blaus, tanks, and bomber blimps everywhere. Oh and robots and robot parts as well.

After a few minutes of fighting, with the occasional bickering between Blau and Grün. By now, the current robot army that had tracked them down had all been defeated, their parts and bits the only evidence they were here. Silence had once again fallen as only the Devs stood in what was originally an underground lot. Nitroplus panted, seeing the results of their victory and despite that her feelings of tense expectation of more enemies lingered.

But it was real: they did win. And chances are, they won't encounter any more robots in any significant numbers, especially since the events of the entire day.

Though they didn't exchange words, Bell felt the same. She sighed wearily as she loosened up her shoulders. Nitroplus and Raw Meat were hanging out together. Gelb… she wasn't sure what exactly she was doing other than glance around for more enemies. Grün light up another cigar as she struck a Captain Morgan pose on top of what was left of a REX. Blau, meanwhile, approached Bell with her doppelganger crowd behind her.

"Soooo, what'd you think?" Blau asked as she leaned in, her question dripping with a mix of cute curiosity and smugness. Bell merely crossed her arms. "Of what? That your ego could choke a horse?"

"Oh, don't be so jealous, Belly!" giggled Blau, an action mimicked by her duplicates. "You can't blame me, the number one Dev, for being so good-looking! But I must say, it's like looking at a mirror! Honestly, even I'm attracted to my-"

"OKAY-OH-UM-GOOD-HEAVENS-WOULD-YOU-LOOK-AT-THE-TIME!" loudly sputtered Bell as she quickly turned to briskly walk away from her. As she walked, Bell saw the wide upward ramp which would lead them up. The robots were gone - probably gone for good this time - so now was as good as any to continue making their way out. Bell was promptly joined by Nitroplus and Raw Meat, followed soon by Gelb and Grün. Having no audience, Blau called off her doppelgangers before joining after them in a huff.

' _Now let's try to walk for another few minutes before we get mobbed by killer robots again.'_ Honestly, after everything that has transpired, Bell felt like she was becoming desensitized by bad news.

* * *

Frost made her short impromptu patrol around the interior of the open hangar for what must have been the seventh time. Everyone sat around the middle of the space, the wide hangar doors open revealing the cold and black void that was the night outdoors. Inside, Cog, BJ, and Weaver were playing an improvised game of baseball with some of Cog's explosives that she claimed were duds while SPARK merely sat on a stack of crates, watching everything in silence.

Kreass glanced down at her pocket watch again before putting it away. Now that they've arrived at the surface where most material comes in and out of the Azure Crypt, she reckoned that the alarms that were meant to dissuade (conventional) interlopers had been set off and that the Azulerdam government were on their way. Currently, they were waiting for both them and for the other Devs to arrive. Kreass impatiently tapped her boot.

' _Blast! Where could they be?! Don't tell me I've given the remaining lot more credit than they should!'_

The thought of either coming back down to look for them or await the authorities stewed in her thoughts until she heard faint sounds from… somewhere. The sounds came again, still incomprehensible. Kreass was unsure where they were coming from until a garage door buckled and unraveled. Immediately everyone whipped out their weapons and were primed to defeat more robots until…

… Kreass was greeted to the sight of Bell, Gelb, Nitroplus, Raw Meat, Grün, and last but not least, Blau. Bell stepped out and seeing that they had finally reunited with the others, made a small smile before she bent over, a quick white light reverting Bell back to normal in her apparent exhaustion. "... Remind me… that I hate… when I have to walk several floors just to get to the exit…!"

Cog brushed past Kreass, rushing to Bell's side. "Bell! My Belly gal, you made it! You made it!" She aggressively hugged Bell which, in her tired state, only stressed her out. "Cog… Cog! Not now… please..."

Bell managed to glance up at Kreass, who bore a small amused look. "Guess I should thank you for not making us left for dead?"

"That would certainly be appreciated, Bell," replied Kreass as she reverted back to her normal form as she walked out to the outdoors - the government would certainly be here by now and she wanted to meet them to explain their situation. By now, everyone else went to meet with each other, glad to see everyone else safe and sound.

Grün looked at the reunion with a bemused look as she walked away, but stopped as she and Frost inadvertently walked close to each other. Eyeing her top to bottom with a judgemental eye, Grün scowled. "... Damn you're ugly." Then she continued walking away, leaving Frost behind her.

The other Devs intermingled with each other in their own ways: BJ teased Gelb about her "big hands", Cog chasing after Grün after seeing her dual gatling guns, and of course Blau attempting to impress the rest and begging Weaver to make her a star in her novels (Weaver unceremoniously declined). They all celebrated their win in their own ways. The rat organization's final base was destroyed and their evil had been removed from the PC Continent. And although they ran into huge snags, they all came out on top.

A bright full moon shone brightly against the pitch-black sky as the good spirits continued to ring high. But the day was still young as there was still one last affair to address.


	19. Chapter 18: Farewell Chase

**Chapter 18: Farewell Chase**

The facility which arrival was thought to be something akin to a graveyard shrouded in darkness became one with lights once the government agents and officials arrived. Everyone gathered outside the Azure Crypt's gates while some of the officials went into the facility buildings to assess the damage. As they had technically snuck into a restricted area without government approval they would have to stay until they were cleared to leave. Further celebrations would have to wait.

Nitroplus plopped down on the grass, happy to actually have the chance to sit down even if it was dirt and grass. The whole day had wore her down and even Raw Meat beside her seemed tired. Some distance away, she could see Kreass in her usual outfit busy explaining their situation to the local commissioner, her story corroborated by the PING agents who also arrived. Meanwhile, everyone else reverted to their normal forms and were socializing by the front entrance, their words and banter audible. Although they had fought for their lives almost an hour ago, they didn't seem to mind. Some, like Cog and BJ, bragged on and on about how awesome it all was or who had the higher body-count while others, like Weaver and Blau, expressed disappointment about how their grand showdown was simply a trap and not what they expected.

Cog was busy trying to tell her side of the story to everyone, even the authorities who weren't too interested in listening. "... and there I was, whole bunch 'o them lined up, and ya know what happened? All their asses were grass an' I was like a freakin' lawnmower!"

BJ slapped Cog hard on the back. "Hey! That's my line! There was this one time this big punkin' robot thought he was the shit, being all big and all, and I just freakin' suplexed that sucker and made him my bitch!"

"Oh bother!" Blau pouted, "I know I was awesome and everything but I still cannot believe that someone would stoop so low as to deny me what would have become my crowning achievement!"

Weaver was busy with her wrist computer, contemplating what to write. "Hmmm, our big prize got away before we even arrived… but I think I can make that work as the ending. A little inconvenient, sure, but I think..."

"... oh… Oh, dear…." whined SPARK who was busy burying her face in her hands and trying to make herself as small and unnoticeable as she could. Just like how she had become a whole new person in her GGA form, she had reverted entirely back to her meek persona. But this time, she seemed even more embarrassed.

Nitroplus sighed as she rested; the day was far late and she could use a good sleep.

And judging by how Bell was laying down flat on her back, she too could really use some sleep as well. She was back to her typical orange jacket and as though a switch was flipped, Bell was back to her lethargic self. "Ugh. That whole thing really took it out on me," she murmured, "Don't think I've stayed in GGA for that long. I think it's gonna take a while before my Acclaim can naturally recover to what it was before."

Nitroplus put her hand on Bell's shoulder while giving her a tired smile. "You did well." Bell merely murmured in response, tired to even talk.

Nitroplus looked towards the others continued to talk about amongst each other. If she had to put herself between the group who came for the thrill or those disappointed that their quarry had escaped, Nitroplus would put herself in the latter: she remembered that the rat leader, Horyuchu, had preemptively cut his losses and fled the land with his remaining henchmen and material. They had more or less fought long and hard just to find that their goal had been moved.

Nitroplus continued to gaze at the Devs. Yes, they did fight a desperate fight. But it was also true that they all managed to pull it off in the end, despite all odds. She recalled how capable they were, but today, she saw how more potent they could be. She saw the Devs as beings of power - potential allies for her future endeavors against injustice.

It would be a waste not to use them again.

' _Yes. Yes, I could. The rats have escaped, meaning that they're still out there, somewhere. And like them, evil will continue to exist. If anyone were to defeat them, it would have to be us! We all came together against a common enemy, for one reason or another. We can certainly stay together to continue fighting evil, even tracking down and defeating the rats for good this time! We were so close! Surely, I can -'_

Nitroplus stopped herself as she came close to her final thought. And as she did, she almost regretted it. ' _... No, maybe not. Up to this point, I've managed to convince most of them to help me in my quest. But…_

' _... But it doesn't feel right to force them to. After all, this was_ my _quest from the beginning. They have their own lives and responsibilities to attend to.'_ Nitroplus slumped as she considered her thoughts before glancing back down at Bell.

' _... It can't hurt to try, right?'_

"Oi!" Kreass curt shout snapped Nitroplus back to reality. She saw Kreass impatiently strolling to where she sat, having reached to some sort of conclusion with the PING agents. Nitroplus hastily got to her feet and so did Raw Meat who was also startled by Kreass's call.

Kreass adjusted her glasses before speaking. "I was able to learn that, every since we raided one of their bases in Pedissia, PING have been active in learning more about this rat organization. Now, if you remember, the transmission that was sent from their leader was indeed unable to be traced, but PING spies reported suspicious movement headed east just recently." She paused to let the information digest in both Nitroplus and Raw Meat before continuing.

"Now, they have been at work tracking their movements around the clock, and with what information they've collected from their Pedissia base and from this Linda, PING believes they have ascertained where this Horyuchu and the rats are headed." Nitroplus and Raw Meat made sure they were all ears for the incoming revelation.

"... They appear to be headed directly to the nation of Leanbox, on the other side of the world that is Gamindustri."

Leanbox… Gamindustri… That's where the rats would be headed. They have chosen to flee from the PC Continent entirely and took the big leap in rebuilding on the opposite side of the world.

This was a golden moment to put him down for good. "How long would it take to get there?" Nitroplus asked.

Kreass raised an eyebrow. "... You're not thinking of pursuing him, are you?"

Nitroplus nodded. "I intend to. That was our original mission." Kreass rolled her eyes, as if she had been told something for the thousandth time.

"You're out of your daft mind. And as far as I am concerned, they are no longer our problem."

"But surely there is someone who would be able to help me in this!" Nitroplus protested. She walked past Kreass who simply glared at her disapprovingly and went up to the where the other Devs had gathered.

"Um, everyone, I have something to tell you - and perhaps ask." The Devs all quieted down as they turned their focus on what Nitroplus had to say. She wasn't experienced in this, but she gave it a go. "The very same rats that we came to defeat, we know where they're going now: they're fleeing to a nation called Leanbox." The Devs who were paying attention all looked at one another with uncertainty.

Nitroplus continued. "I know it's far away, outside this land, but if we can go after them, we can finish them off for good. All I ask is for anyone willing to -"

Blau's hand shot up, Nitroplus off short. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Nitry! I have a raiding session with my online guild, lasts all the way to sunrise. Can't afford to miss out on the loot and grinding! Very important, I'm sure you'll understand!" She trotted towards Nitroplus, stopping directly in front of her. "But if you really are leaving, then let me say my farewells!" Before Nitroplus could react, Blau immediately leaned in and gave a quick peck on her head before vanishing away in some sort of personal teleport.

Nitroplus stood there, unsure how to react to Blau's "parting gift" and feeling quite warm inside. But the movement of Grün rolling away in her wheelchair caught her eye. "Um, Grün? What about -"

Grün suddenly bent over, coughing and hacking. When she could finally breathe, she gagged a little before calming down. "You're asking _this_ geezer to follow you around, kid? To freakin' Gamindustri of all places?! What next, you need me to teach you how to mix a martini?" She coughed again. "Besides, that shit I pulled off - Ugh. I'm gonna need some time to rest; it really takes it out on me.

"Not to mention one more thing..." Grün glared at Frost as she rolled past her, away from the others. "And don't you think this whole thing's gonna change my mind about you, ya damn savant! You better not tell your 'boss' where I live!" And with that, Grün rolled away into the distance, presumably coughing and cursing all the way back to her home.

The moment left an awkward silence, as Nitroplus glanced at Frost to see her reaction. Surprisingly, she seemed to take it with stride, merely shrugging before she too began walking away. "I appreciate the offer," she began with Nitroplus picking up on the slight apologetic tone, "But I'm going to have to turn it down. We've drove the rat organization and their piracy operations from the AO; that was my given mission. It didn't say anything about pursuing them outside the continent."

Nitroplus was crestfallen. "... Oh." Frost seemed to hesitate, as if she was about to say something, before settling with a quick nod before departing for good.

Not soon after, Nitroplus watched as Gelb began walking away in the same direction as Grün and Frost, her yellow jacket being the only thing that stood out against the night. She walked by, without a word and without a glance at the others.

Nitroplus hesitantly tried to walk up beside her, half-trying to attract her attention. "Um, Gelb?"

Coming to a stop, Gelb turned her head, staring at Nitroplus with eyes that were back to being flat and dull. Now that she got her attention, Nitroplus went straight to the point. "Do you… are you fine joining me at Gamindustri?"

No response other than Gelb's continued stare, though her expression seemingly changed to a more thoughtful one. But she still remained silent. As the awkward wordless moment dragged on, Gelb finally turned away.

"... Sorry. I have something else to do."

Nitroplus looked down, saddened by her decision. Gelb continued to glance away but remained where she was for another second before walking away, as though she wanted to express her apology. A cool night breeze passed by and Gelb sneezed, her pace quickening as she went away over the black horizon.

Nitroplus turned to the others left, finding SPARK curled up in front of her. Since she had changed back to normal, Nitroplus found herself staring down at her, though even more than before. Nitroplus carefully approached her as she seemed quite… troubled.

"Um, are you alright?" No response came from SPARK who continued to cover her downcast face as best she could. She could hear her mumble something so Nitroplus crept ever closer and laid her hand on SPARK's shoulder. This time SPARK flinched, yelping and even catching Nitroplus off-guard.

"... Are you okay?" she asked, concerned. SPARK briefly glanced at Nitroplus, once again wearing her thick round glasses with swirls on the lenses and with a panicked look on her face before quickly looking away. Whatever the reason was, SPARK seemed very embarrassed by something.

"... Y-y-y-you saw it?... Didn't you?" SPARK stammered, "M-m-my o-other..."

"Um..." Nitroplus glanced to the side as she had a strong feeling that she knew what SPARK was talking about. "... We all did, actually. It was actually rather… cool to -"

"WWAAAAAAHHH!" cried SPARK, leaping up and almost scaring Nitroplus. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO LIVE THIS DOWN! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" And before anyone could do anything, SPARK sprinted off into the distance, crying hysterically into the dark night. None of the Devs had a clue what to make of it, but Nitroplus certainly hoped that she would be able to find her way back home.

As everyone watched, Kreass finally sighed tiredly. "... Well then," she said as she began to stroll away from the front gates, "I've overstayed my welcome here. I need to return and find some good rest." She walked past Nitroplus, not even noticing her as she passed, but after a couple paces after walking past her, Kreass stopped. Then she sighed again.

"Do you wish to continue in your pursuit?" Though Kreass's head was barely turned, she could sense that Nitroplus nodded her head. "Well, that's on you. It will be up to you and… Raw Meat to travel to Leanbox. International travel from the PC Continent is minimal, but you should still be able to catch a boat or plane that will take you there. Unless you desire an illegal method of travel, in which case I cannot make any recommendations…"

Kreass finally turned to look at Nitroplus square in her eyes. "But remember: once you've arrived, you are on your own."

Everyone went silent as Nitroplus considered Kreass's words, then nodded affirmatively a second later. And without another word, Kreass resumed walking away, leaving the rest behind to remain in silence.

"... Weeeell then," spoke Weaver as she finalized some notes on her wrist computer, "It's getting real late and I'd really like to get back to Castle Wolf to get started on my story. I think I got the entire synopsis down."

"But… what about…?" By now Nitroplus was beginning to feel worried.

Weaver stopped to think about it before she made an expression that signaled her final decision. "Well, I understand your commitment, but I really got my idea together and I'd like to get started while it's still fresh in my mind. Heck, I can't wait." Before she could turn and leave, Weaver grabbed BJ by her arm and started pulling her away with her. "C'mon, we're going."

"Going? Where?" BJ protested, "If you ask me, her idea sounds real fun! Always got some stiffs to slay!"

Weaver rolled her eyes. "Ugh. And make a huge mess over there? I don't know much about what goes on over at Gamindustri, but if you get in serious trouble over there, that's on me! Besides, I'm pretty sure you're officially prohibited from traveling abroad because you got a laundry list of felons."

"Oh come on!" complained BJ, "What's a little crime history between fights?"

"The answer is still 'no' BJ!" Weaver sternly replied, "Look, you'll get plenty of stuff to fight or wrestle or whatever once we get back. At least _that's_ not going to be illegal for you." BJ growled, throwing Weaver's grip off of her but ultimately relented, grumbling as she walked alongside Weaver. She passed by Nitroplus before she stopped to look at those who remained: Raw Meat, Bell, and Cog.

"Uh, do you guys need a ride back or something?"

Nitroplus shook her head. "No. I think we can take care of ourselves from here." It was evident that she was sad in what was supposed to be their victory, but there wasn't much that Weaver could do. She replied with a repentant look before walking away to where she parked her convertible.

* * *

The cold night wind blew, its breeze washing over the grassland and over the four individuals who were left. Nitroplus turned to look at the last two Devs - the same two Devs that she first met. Bell and Cog were standing side-by-side, the former shivering in irritation.

Everyone looked at each other, their looks removing the need for words. Even though the chances were slim, Nitroplus briefly contemplated about asking them, but she bit her lip; she had a strong feeling that she already knew the answer.

Bell shivered in the cold night, but she tried not to break the mood. But someone had to say what needed to be said. "Uh… I'm sorry."

Cog looked between Bell and Nitroplus, then again as though she wasn't paying attention. "Uh, yeah, what she said I suppose..."

Nitroplus sighed. "It's alright. I… I guess I was asking others to come with me was selfish of me."

Bell shrugged. "Well, tagging along to help fight rats was one thing. But yeah, I don't think anyone had 'travel halfway across the world' on their checklist."

"Agreed. But not just that: what I meant was that it was foolish for me to make demands."

"Demands? Oh, you mean -"

Nitroplus nodded, cutting off Bell. "You're one of the many goddesses that inhabit this land. No doubt you've live here for as long as you remember. You were powerful, and seeing that, I first thought of using it to help me on my quest… _my_ quest that I roped you all in to begin with."

Cog snickered, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, at least it was all fun an' stuff."

Nitroplus let herself smile a bit, thinking back to when she first ran into the two in Conderica. But happy thoughts disappeared as she went back to her point. "But in the end, this is something I chose to do. I am obligated to see it to the end. That is my duty."

She walked up to Bell, her eyes sad but as Bell looked, they remained steadfast and determined. "... The Devs have their own lives and duties to attend to. All I can say is... " Nitroplus considered her next words - her parting words - before resuming.

"I won't forget the time we spent together… Bell."

"Indeed! Let's hope we meat again, meat!" And with one final look, Nitroplus and Raw Meat parted ways, walking off into the horizon back to civilization where the first step of her next journey would begin. She would cherish the people, places, and experience that this land that was the PC Continent held, for it would be her last day here. From here on out, her next goal would be the land east, across the Eastern Sea, the land filled with its own wondrous adventures, people, places, and even villains: Gamindustri.

As Nitroplus and Raw Meat disappeared into the night, Bell and Cog were left standing in silence. A rather solemn and touching silence had Cog not ruined the moment:

"... Wow. Is it just me or did that there just feel like somethin' straight outta some romance plot or somethin'?"

Bell rolled her eyes but yawned right after. She reckoned they were the only ones in this entire area. Admittedly, she didn't want to stick around any longer at this time of day.

"Come on. Let's go home." Bell walked towards the same horizon that everyone left to, with Cog trotting earnestly right after.

* * *

The mansion was quiet for once, with the lights dimmed, the guests gone, and the maids either slumbering or finishing up late work. But upstairs, one small room refused to sleep.

Blau focused intently on her bright monitor screen, the time for raiding and looting in the virtual world of "Four Goddesses Online" with her guildmates. She had just arrived at the nick of time as the special event was about to start. Blau fumbled through her desk, littered with bags of potato chips, chocolate bars, and energy drinks. She grabbed one from the third category and popped it open, guzzling its contents in one swell gulp. The caffeine content gave her the fizzly bubbles in her stomach and she squirmed in ecstasy at the delightful feeling. Refreshed, she turned her attention back to the game.

Immediately after booting up the game, Blau just had to spread her stories of grand adventure and bravado from the Azure Crypt to her guildmates who were all in awe. (Of course, Blau made sure to highly embellish the events.) The chat box was filled with praise and compliments from her fanbase who ate it all up.

Right now, the active player base was fairly average, especially at this time of day, but a large bulk of it would be from those who still found daylight to play. Contemplating on this fact, Blau quickly opened up the ingame list of players and scrolled through the list. But whatever she was looking for came up empty.

' _Hmm, it seems that '+GreenHeart+' still hasn't logged in. I doubt she would dare miss out on an important event such as this!'_

Her attention jumped to the server-wide message that popped up on-screen, announcing that the special dungeon was now open. For a limited amount of time, all players could enter to fight unique monsters and win special prizes. First come first serve. Abandon all hope of sleep ye who enter here.

Blau closed out the player list window and rubbed her hands in anticipation (and from sugar rush). "It's time for the _Dogooing_!" she declared.

* * *

Back in the suburban area of Calipolis, the only thing Grün did upon arriving back to her beat-down bungalow was to lean back on her wheelchair and smoke a cigar. And smoke another. And another. Each puff of smoke, sighing wearily.

' _Why oh why did I ever think of doing this errand?'_ she fumed, ' _Sure, kid's got heart but damned if I ever have to see_ her _stupid face again!'_ She sighed again, trying to relax rather than burn herself up with frustration.

As she smoked in her unlit living room, Grün thought back to prior events. For once in a long time, it actually felt good - real good - to relive it again. Her glory days, when her games were the talk of the town, heck, when games were actually fun and memorable. Back when she believed her future to be clear and bright. Back when she wasn't confined to her wheelchair without depth perception and with her games now only fondly remembered among the select few holding on to nostalgia.

' _Hell, now I'm feeling it. Ugh. Must be getting soft myself.'_

Grumbling to herself, Grün reached into her jacket pocket and fished out her headphones. She plopped them over her ears and fumbled for the Play button. If there is one thing that would withstand the test of time, it would certainly be her mixtape. At this rate, her Acclaim was being held together by the figurative duct tape that was her music and nostalgia of her games.

But soon, she figured that it would only be a matter of time before people would finally forget about her and she would finally be able to kick the bucket.

Strangely, Grün found herself chuckling. ' _Heh. Ain't legacy a bitch?'_

* * *

Parked at a certain dime-a-dozen motel was an armored car. And in a certain room was its owner who was at work putting together her report. With no field work going on, Frost let herself enjoy some creature comfort that a motel room provided: her jacket and cap hanging from the coatrack, her boots placed by the door in an orderly fashion, and she was sitting on the bed with her personal terminal on her lap.

As she sipped from her cup, Frost considered how to complete her report. The rats, their piracy operations, running into more Devs who were coincidentally after the same thing, and the confirmation that their leader had fled. The first two were simple, but she wondered how exactly she could conclude the series of events without mentioning the presence of other Devs. She knew that her current employer cared more about the results than _how_ the results were attained, but Frost figured that it would be better not to open up more questions. Don't ask, don't tell.

As she thought about the others she fought alongside, her mind drifted to Grün. Why did she hate her? It involved her employer who was also someone Grün used to work for, but was it fair to take it out on her? What happened to Grün to make her feel that way?

Frost couldn't help but have her own suspicions and theories, but those were personal matters; they had no place in the realm of business. So long as the job was necessary and paid well, she didn't mind who exactly she worked for. She was just another cog in the machine and she had accepted that.

She continued making her report, finishing with the confirmation that the rats, their leader, and their operations had been evicted from the PC Continent. After submitting it, Frost tossed her terminal aside and lay down on her back. Another day, another job done.

* * *

In a different part of Calipolis, away from the luster of the nation's shiny white buildings and immaculate curves, lay the quieter and more foreign side of the nation, mostly devoid of the future technology aesthetic and bright lights. Instead there were cobblestone paths, oak trees, and vegetation both green and brown everywhere you looked. At this time of the year, the trees were withered, their leaves either a sickly orange or scattered all over the ground. Unlike the noisy atmosphere of the urban cities, this particular area seemed more reserved, more hushed.

More solemn.

As Gelb slowly walked on the leaf-littered cobblestone, she didn't mind the mood. If anything, this was exactly what she needed. She was starting to actually prefer the more muted areas of the city, away from the cacophony of traffic, the glare of signs, and the hectic pace of city life - the opposite of what made modern life worth living for. From an outsider, this was a rather lonely and sad life.

Which is likely why Gelb chose this; and why she came here.

Leaves gently fell, occasionally brushing past Gelb's hair. None of them even made a blip in her consciousness, for in her mind, her intended destination was close by. She approached the iron-wrought gate off to her side and passed through. This time, she walked over a dirt field, pockmarked by the occasional tuft of grass, passing by orderly rows of stone markers that carpeted the field she was in.

Gelb was in a real graveyard. A particular one - for there was a particular marker she wanted to visit.

She kept walking until she found the specific tombstone she wanted to see. She had always known where it was - Gelb didn't have to visit it plenty of times to have memorized its exact location. Knowing that alone always left a hole in her heart.

Gelb gazed down, reading the stone's inscription. But no matter how many times she read it, the writing was permanent. Sighing, she slowly sat down in front of it then continued looking at it, never taking her eyes off of it. After a period of silence, Gelb started talking.

"... Hi. It's… it's me again." Despite there not being an answer, Gelb continued speaking to it. "It's… Well I wouldn't say that it's been a while; you know how often I visit." She sighed again as the wind blew, almost as if to answer.

She sighed again, deeply this time. Personally, she didn't like to come here. But she just couldn't help it. Gelb stopped to think before remembering what happened. "So… something actually happened just recently. I… actually met someone nice." A tiny smile appeared on Gelb's face as she decided what to say. A sad smile, but a smile nonetheless.

The tombstone marked "THQ" remained silent, but it seemed to appreciate the company.

* * *

From the cellar of her library, Kreass sighed in relief of having returned to her sanctum, putting on a clean set of clothes, putting on some hot tea, and of course of having relieved herself the burden of the other Devs.

' _I can thank the maker that it's all over,'_ she thought as she waited for the kettle to boil. ' _First they gather to quash some "evil", then they make my library their collateral, then they somehow gather more for their farce.'_ She paused as she made a sour face.

' _... And I had to be roped along with them!'_

The kettle began whistling from the hot air and Kreass quickly poured herself a cup before taking a large sip. The hot flavored liquid did wonders to alleviate her mood. The stuff that only well-refined cup of brewed jasmine tea could provide.

As she drank from the comforts of an armchair, Kreass thought about the state of her library. Last she checked, the repairs for the front entrance was close to finished and before she knew it, physical traces of the rat incident would be nonexistent. But then she thought about how rats even managed to establish their bases under the noses of two governments, least of all, under the notice of Pedissia's Intelligence Group.

' _Hmph. At least they were able to redeem themselves with how they tracked their leader's movements in such a short time. Regardless, I may have to call an acquaintance of mine to make sure this doesn't happen again.'_

While on the topic of the rats, her mind drifted to the subject matter of one particular individual. ' _Hmph. And she intended to have me visit Gamindustri, of all places? Tis a silly place. From what I've gathered, that continent is rife with trouble and tomfoolery.'_

Kreass held the cup in her hands as she continued to think. ' _... At the very least, she has dedication. That's as much as I am willing to credit her with. As for the others...'_ Her gaze looked down at the tea as though studying it. Then she finally let out a soft chuckle.

' _... I suppose the others aren't quite bad. For some, a little less incompetent than I presumed...'_

* * *

SPARK was busy tossing about on her bed, whining about having let others see the other side of her. Granted, it was her true goddess form, but it was still very embarrassing. All those stares, those eyes, the possibility of those around her making silent judgements. The very thought of it make SPARK sink her head into the pillow even more and moan in shame.

After minutes of wallowing in her own self-esteem issues, SPARK stopped rolling. With a sigh, she sat up and looked at a mirror. Her round glasses were still on her face obscuring her eyes and so was her antenna headband, though both were slightly crooked thanks to her rolling all over the bed. Despite the flaws, SPARK decided not to fix it - so long as she saw herself as the meek, social unsure girl living in the middle of nowhere it was all good. Unless aliens dropped by, in which case the situation would be drastically different.

Deciding she had nothing to do before going to sleep, SPARK hopped off her bed and wandered to her personal collection: a wall decorated with pinned images of landmarks, both man-made and natural, ranging from Azulerdan's iconic Colossus Blue clocktower to the mysterious Myst Island out near Cape Aspiration; from Conderica's Dockyard 7 that houses the Conderican Armed Forces Aerial's aerial warship fleet along the nation's coast to a rare postcard depicting what is supposed to be Planeptune's tower. A collage that SPARK had spent years gathering.

Admiring her own collection, SPARK felt something in her pocket. Slipping her hand in, she felt something folded up: thin but not quite paper. She took it out and unfolded it, revealing to be a picture. Behind her spectacles, SPARK's eyes widened as she recognized it.

She pulled open a drawer and took out a small pin. Scanning the wall which held her collection, SPARK spotted an open space close to the center, a space which she had somehow left vacated for reasons she couldn't remember. She carefully pinned the photograph to cover that empty space and as she leaned back to look, SPARK knew that there was no better photo to add to her collection, even if it stood apart from the others.

In the middle of everything was the photo of Nitroplus she took on the trip to the beach with the bright sun, deep blue sky, and shiny white buildings in the background. And at the foreground was the her friendly smile she put on for the occasion. The photo was proof that SPARK did indeed had the chance of her lifetime to meet new people. People who were willing to accept her despite her quirks. People whom she could actually call friends.

As Nitroplus in the picture smiled, SPARK couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

"...hmmm, okay. So that's act two wrapped up," whispered Weaver as she hunched over her keyboard, her story draft on her computer's display. Her wrist computer sat by the side, its display lit with notes that Weaver jotted down throughout the journey. It was still late night outside, but sleep was not on Weaver's mind. Not with her ideas still on her mind and not after chugging down three cups of coffee.

"Right. So, for act three, it'll cover the heroines' arrive to Pedissia in search for more clues. However -"

 _*Cli-Clack!*_

Hearing unwanted commotion downstairs, Weaver sighed. "Oh, for..." she quietly cursed, getting up from her seat only to bang her knee against a sharp corner of her desk. Weaver quietly seethed in pain until she heard the same sound again. "Ugh. BJ..."

She stepped out of her bedroom and followed the sound. Weaver strolled past the hallway of doors and windows, all framed in stone of her castle walls. She continued down the hallway, then down a flight of stairs. The sound rang again, and each time Weaver could only burn up with irritation more. She reached the ground floor where the sound was at its loudest but Weaver already had a strong idea where it - and BJ - was coming from.

She strolled towards the kitchen and upon entering, found a mess of broken glass littered around the bin. The shattered remains of bottles cut and made scrapes on everything: the marble tiles, the metal bin, and the wood of cupboards and shelves. But from where she was, Weaver couldn't find BJ -

An empty soda bottle cut through the air for a split-second before shattering upon impact above the bin, the shards spilling into the bin's open void.

"Score!" Weaver sighed once again as she gingerly stepped around the glass and peered around the corner. Through the open passageway that connected the kitchen to the dining hall, she could see BJ on the opposite end with the entire length of the dining table separating her from Weaver. By her side was an assortment of empty bottles of all shapes and size. Weaver could only surmise that she had decided to spent some of the night simply drinking whatever she could get her hands on.

And as it happened, BJ apparently made it a sport to toss the empty bottles from across the entire room just to see whether they landed into the bin. ' _Of all things to spend the night,'_ Weaver thought incredulously.

"Hey Weavy!" called BJ, carefree to what she was doing. "I think you're gonna have to go out shopping soon! We're running low on cider and soda!"

"Ugh! No thanks to you, BJ! I'm trying to get some work done, so I really prefer if you didn't interrupt me! Especially with you making this mess!" Weaver carefully made her way to the kitchen cabinet to fetch a dustpan. "Can't you just do that in the basement?!"

"Nah! I already drank all the bottles down there!" Weaver quickly ran back to glare at BJ, which elicited a laugh from her. "Oh yeah, by the way the toliet down there's all clogged."

Weaver's foot came down on a diamond-like shard right as she heard that. "Oh, motherf-!"

* * *

Down a lonely road in Conderica, a late night bus rolled by. Within, Bell yawned as she futilely tried to rub the tears and sleep from her weary eyes. "Ugh. I don't remember all-nighters feeling like this," Bell drowsily said. Besides themselves and the driver, nary a person was aboard the bus.

"Ya mean, like that one time you stayed up for three days straight and thought that your abode was gettin' shanked by anthrophro-somethin' racoons?" joked Cog.

Bell squinted, trying to remember. "... Yeah, I think I remember something like that. Don't remember how it happened."

"Don't remember much myself, but I definitely remember there being somethin' about an apple, a burnt spark-plug, and… that's pretty much all I got."

Bell tried to wonder how all those items related to that incident while Cog leaned back as far as the seat would let her, slumping down to give herself some more legroom.

"Aw jeez," yawned Cog, as even she was starting to feel a little fatigued, "I just remembered that the re-run of _King of the Mountain_ and the next season of _Mojo's Eccentric Escapades_ start tomorrow. Eh, I really don't wanna be late when it starts airin'."

"Can't you just watch those episodes online or something?" Bell asked tired.

Cog shrugged. "Meh. That's only when I have to; I prefer the real deal wheneva possible."

Brief silence fell as the two simply sat, tired to speak meaningful conversations and opting to simply watch as the dark scenery pass by.

The bus then began turning into a station, and Cog hopped off from her seat, stretching her arms and legs to shake off the weariness. From here, she could make her way back to her house. As Cog was about to make her way to the doors, she turned to Bell. "An' uh, make sure you don't go pokin' round in dark alleyways this time, alrighty Belly?"

Remembering how this all began made Bell groan. "Right, and next time I won't listen to your ideas, is that a deal, Coggie?" Both Cog and Bell laughed before Cog stepped out of the bus. As the door closed and the bus wheels began picking up speed, Bell watched as Cog waved good-bye before she disappeared into the distance.

* * *

Bell stepped through the entrance of her store, the lights and sign still bright and alive though at this time of day, that was going to change real soon as she could tell. No customers were present inside and she saw the familiar silhouette of her personal robot sorting through the items on the shelves. The jingle of the door opening quickly caught its attention.

The single yellow eye immediately recognized Bell. "Oh good, you're back. Do know that at no point did I ever contact the local authorities on your whereabouts despite your extended absence. I was even contemplating whether you had lost your way back. So how was your time?"

For once, Bell was glad to hear the familiar monotone voice. Although she was tired, she managed to put on a friendly of a face as she could. "Ehh… I guess I got a little more than what I expected." Yawning, Bell strolled past Adjunct and towards the stairs. "But beyond that, everything was fine."

As she walked up the steps that lead to her habitat, Bell almost was really glad to be back in familiar territory. The furniture, her bed, her workplace, heck, even the mess was something she really appreciating seeing again. Home sweet home.

Bell sighed inwardly. ' _So what's first…? A shower? Something to drink? Or…?'_

* * *

Like the night outside, the interior of Bell's bedroom was dimmed in darkness. Like the darkness that now dwelled in the room as well as the entire building, nary a sound was heard other than the faint rhythm of Bell's breathing as she slept, sometimes turning whenever she felt slightly uncomfortable in her bed. Unfortunately as a result, sleep couldn't quite yet come for her. Bell's eyes were closed yet she remained awake inside.

' _Nnrrrrg. Why can't I fall asleep already?'_ Bell huffed as she tossed again. ' _Alright, better get comfy. This should at least be better than those motel beds made by the lowest bidder.'_ The one-off thought gave Bell something else. ' _Hmm. Jeez that was crazy. 'Fight some rats' she said, 'Got nothing better to do' she said. That whole stint went from zero to a hundred real quick.'_

Bell sighed. ' _But whatever, the video game pirates are gone. My store shouldn't run into much trouble from now on… And having said that, I probably jinxed myself. What's next, am I going to be visited by some pixie-girl prodding me to go on another grand merry adventure that involves magicians, building violations, a crazy-o-meter, and ducks? Well at least I know pixies can't be real...'_

Silence and peace settled in before Bell had another thought.

' _That reminds me, I wonder what Nitroplus and Raw Meat are up to?'_

* * *

The sun shone bright on the opposite side of the world. It was midday as the city below was buzzing with activity, with office buildings, apartments, diners, and other services up and about for another productive day under the shining sun and the assurance of a rectangular table-like structure that dwarfed all others with its imposing size and its texture white and green like everything else. Nary a cloud was present to dare dampen the sunny mood and atmosphere.

It was another sunny day in Leanbox as its inhabitants went about enjoying their day.

But for Nitroplus, it was merely another day of vigilante justice. She wasn't in the mood to partake in the city's happiness. She didn't feel quite right if she dropped everything now to go sightseeing or experience the nation's hospitality. Not when there was still evil that lurked in the shadows. It was said that only when there was light there would be shadow for something sinister to hide in. Perhaps that was why she and Raw Meat were snooping about in the alleyways.

' _This looks quite familiar,'_ Nitroplus mused as she navigated the narrow corridors that displayed the not-quite clean side of the city: brick structures exposed to the environment, graffiti, and trash wherever she looked. Not to generalize, but if this was where she needed to look for, this was it.

"According to my intel, this should be the place," she said to herself. Kreass, and by proxy PING, only told her that they should be here. But after Raw Meat latched on to their scent, Nitroplus was glad that the information was spot-on. Now, she knew that they had to be close. It was only a matter of confronting them.

After the long trip here, her mission was finally about to pay off. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the photo that Kreass showed: the photo of the rat leader - the same one who led them to a trap and almost did them in. "I won't let them get away this time," she declared. Raw Meat squeaked in agreement. "They should be that-a-way, meat!"

Following Raw Meat's direction, Nitroplus briskly moved through the urban maze, each time Raw Meat confirming that the rats were close and getting closer. Finally, they stumbled upon a partially-rusted unmarked door.

"They're in there! But let's try to be a little sneaky!"

Nitroplus silently agreed and carefully pushed the door open. Behind the door was a dimly-lit hallway, the fluorescent ceiling light flickering as it covered the interior in a sickly green glow. Just as when she opened it, Nitroplus cautiously closed the door behind her without making a sound. As she tiptoed through the hallway, she poked around the corner to find herself in some kind of neon arcade, with lines of bright purple, blue, and green running all over the walls, ceiling, and the rows of arcade machines.

But what caught her attention immediately after were voices - familiar voices. A commotion of sorts could be heard as the voices of rats rang out, many of them. From that alone, Nitroplus and Raw Meat had discovered their meeting place. But amidst the nasal squeaks of the vile rats, another voice cried out, one that neither of the two recognized. From what both of them could tell, it was that of a woman, very likely someone who had unwittingly stumbled upon a den of thieves unprepared. Whoever that voice belonged to, she was in danger. But then, the voice she heard next made Nitroplus tense up.

"Chu… A beautiful girl and underlings running around, getting all kinds of messed up. How entertaining."

Nitroplus recognized the voice, the same voice that she briefly heard when they walked into the trap back in the Azure Crypt, the same voice that taunted them with the futility of their actions. The voice of their kingpin. He was here.

"Meat! That is definitely him!" Raw Meat quietly proclaimed. Nitroplus nodded - it was definitely him. The info from the Pedissia Intelligence Group was accurate. Risking a peek, Nitroplus slowly peek her head from around her cover, and saw something she didn't quite expect: some curvy girl with long flowing blonde hair in a green fancy garb befitting more of a princess was surrounded by an entourage of rats, all making threatening gestures. But that was all she could gather from her narrow view; the rat leader was nowhere to be seen in the cluttered room.

But from somewhere inside, the same voice spoke out again. "Goodbye, pretty lady. May the Diety of Sin bless you." And with that, the scampering of feet could be heard that quickly faded away.

"... He's gone!" hissed Nitroplus, seething at the fact that he got away once again, this time without so much of an actual appearance. She had traveled this far and come so close only for the moment to slip away once again.

"Meat! We have more pressing concerns!" As Nitroplus poked her head out again, she could see that some rats remained, still surrounding the blonde girl. They were only mere steps and seconds away from pouncing upon her. There was no telling what they might do to her if Nitroplus were to not intervene, but surely - _surely_ \- Horyuchu would still be within reach if she acted now. But that would mean leaving the girl to fend her herself. But the chance to still chase after the rat leader was too good to pass up. All for the price of one person...

The choice was laid out before her, and Nitroplus decided to go with her instincts.

She had no idea who the stranger was, but if she wanted to do some good, she could start by saving an endangered life. And who knows, perhaps this person would be willing to help. She may not look like a vigilante but she carried an air of grace and power. Somehow, nothing about her appearance made her seem like an ordinary citizen.

And besides, Nitroplus had saved the lives of Bell and Cog from the rats before and they had returned the favor by helping her; from there did her adventure go by leaps and bounds. However, Nitroplus didn't have the goddesses of the PC Continent by her side this time, leaving her alone in this exotic world. But that all gave her a chance to start over. She'll defeat the rat organization, however long it takes - and she'll do it with new allies, whoever they may be.

And it starts by rescuing this woman.

Right before any rat could take another step to strike first at the girl, a gleam of light flashed for a split-second, before a rat collapsed. Another golden rat noticed this but not the culprit. "W-What's going on?!" he cried before he too was cut down by a similar attack. As the surviving rats and the girl looked around frightened and confused, Nitroplus dropped down next to the blond girl.

"Catch a rat, kill a rat. Catch a god, kill a god," Nitroplus affirmed with thirst for justice in her eyes, "The sword does not discriminate."

One of the rats staggered back, frightened by her sudden appearance. "W-Who the hell are you?!" The response from Nitroplus didn't exactly answer the rat's question but it did stop him from asking any more: "Defeat evil!"

Just like the rats, the blond woman was confused about Nitroplus's sudden entrance. "Who… are you…?"

"My name is Nitroplus. I'm here to help you," replied Nitroplus. By now, the surprise began to wear off and the remaining rats regathered their courage. Three rats down, but their prey were still surrounded. "Chu, get 'em!"

Nitroplus tightened the grip on her katana as well as unholstering her pistol her the other hand. "I'll explain things later!" she said as she rushed forward to counter the rat's charge. The woman materialized a weapon of her own within her white gloved hand: an ornate spear. That very act was unnoticed by Nitroplus; the fact that the stranger handled it with deft and finesse confirmed her suspicions. Whoever this blonde was, she was certainly not an ordinary person.

Two more rats fell, courtesy of the smoking pistol in Nitroplus's hand as well as the spear from the woman. Back-to-back, despite having just met, the pair made short work of the offending rats. One by one, their numbers dwindled until eventually, the last rat standing was swiftly knocked out. With its dying squeak, the only thing that remained were the unconscious forms of the rats, the techno-color interior of their meeting place, and the two people who had emerged victorious.

With all enemies defeated, the blonde girl let herself relax, though her expression was anything but relaxed. "The boss rat is nowhere to be found," she lamented, "He must've snuck away amidst all the commotion." But as she turned to face Nitroplus, her expression changed to a sunny smile. "However, thanks to you, I was able to put an end to their illegal trading. You have my gratitude."

Nitroplus shrugged as she dismissively waved her hand. "I was just in it to slash evildoers. No need to thank me." She then reached into her pocket - perhaps this woman she saved might know something if she had stumbled upon the rats. "Anyway, take a look at this photo. Does this look like the rat that just got away?"

The woman studied the photo that Nitroplus procured and immediately her expression turned serious. "Yes, that's definitely the rat from earlier. I don't recall seeing him on any wanted list before."

Putting the photo back into her pocket, Nitroplus sighed. "Even after all that trouble finding their trade site, I was too late..."

The girl now looked confused. "What else do you know about that rat?"

"What don't I know about him? I've traveled all the way from the PC Continent hunting him down." As she spoke, memories flashed before Nitroplus's mind, from the very first time she encountered the rats to each Dev she came across, joining her for their own reasons. If anything, what she said was a huge understatement of everything in the past several weeks.

A thoughtful look was on the woman's face. "PC Continent? That's beyond the Eastern Sea, correct? But why…? Why would rats from such a place revere the Diety of Sin…?"

At that moment, a familiar voice chirped forth as the speaker came forth. "Let meat explain. She doesn't speak much… Meat."

Upon seeing Raw Meat in the flesh, a startled look appeared in the blonde woman's face. "What?! Is that a piece of meat?! Why is the meat speaking?" Seeing the girl's reaction to Raw Meat's appearance made Nitroplus smile inside, reminding her of how the Devs reacted upon seeing Raw Meat.

"There's no way a meat would speak. My name is Raw Meat."

The woman continued to look taken aback. "O-Oh. So your name is Raw Meat." With the initial shock worn off, the woman regained enough of her composure to begin formal introductions.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Vert."

"It's a pleasure to meat you, Verty!"

And like that, Nitroplus and Raw Meat inadvertently rescued and met one of Gamindustri's goddesses, the CPU of Leanbox, Vert.


	20. Follow-Up

**Follow-Up**

"Lights! Camera! Action!"

A flurry of purple-tinted lights shone across the stage as the intro music blared out on stage, its fanfare signaling the beginning of the show. Onstage, the show host, a woman wearing a white sweater with a single purple stripe and short white-brown hair sat behind the podium, her eyes and bracelets purple as the stage dressing and the show's logo which also happened to proudly bear the host's name.

"Hey-o everybody!" the woman ecstatically hollered, her hair-sticks on top of her hair bun quivering about like TV antennas (which they were made to look), "Welcome to the _premier episode_ of the one! The only! ' _Justinia Emmett Live!'_ with yours truly, Justinia Emmett!" She paused for a bit as the clapping sound bite was played. "This show has been brought to you by the USB - the United Simulcasting Business! And tonight, we commemorate the completion of this fan-fiction - the very first of others to come!"

Across from her on a purple stuffy couch, Bell could only wonder how she got involved. ' _... Why am I here right now…?'_ she thought, wishing she was somewhere else other than onstage with a talk-show host who must have vocal cords made of iron or something.

"And just as an FYI to you dear viewers and/or readers! This is a special chapter at the end of every major story, where we talk about… stuff that happened so far with select special guests! This is gonna be like family tradition, if families decided that they talk meta stuff during reunions or something. If this is your first time here - bravo, dear reader, bravo for making it this far and sticking with us! Unless you got bored and just skipped ahead to the last chapter simply because it was the last chapter, in which case, uh… bravo to you anyways! So better hold onto your butts - there ain't no fourth wall where we're goin'!"

"And joining us," Justinia boomed vigorously, "We have the one and only Bell here with us today!" The sound bite of a standing ovation played as Bell sank lower into the seat, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible even though it was useless.

Justinia clapped along until the sound faded out. With the bombastic intro out of the way, she rubbed her hands together. "So!" she began with the look of excitement running on high octane in her eyes, "What did you think of the experience so far, being one of the major stars of the show?"

Bell sighed, knowing that there would be no easy way out of the uncomfortable situation. Her eyes glanced to the side as she tried to come up with a decent answer. "Uhh… fine, I guess?"

"Oh c'mon! It should've been fun! (Or at least by your definition of 'fun') Being right there from the get-go, getting stuck in the action, heck you even got the first transformation scene! That had to count for something, am I right?"

Bell remained unexcited. "Um… sure. Yeah."

Undeterred by Bell's lack of enthusiasm, Justinia simply laughed. "There we have it, folks: the best of 'ol Belly!"

That elicited a quick response from Bell who immediately leaned forward on her seat. "Hey! Don't go around calling me that!"

Justinia waved her hands in jest. "Hey, you've been called that plenty of times throughout the story! Sorry, but I couldn't resist!" Justinia giggled while Bell could only glare with an ever-reddening face. Taking a breath, Justinia moved onto another topic of discussion. "That reminds me, what you think of the other characters that showed up? Particularly Cog - what'd you think of her?"

Half-glad to move on to a different topic, Bell begrudging decided to play along. Resting her hand on her hand, she thought of something to say. Preferably something that she could mention without accidently slipping out some details she would regret saying if Justinia ever caught on to them.

Apparently, Justinia didn't get the hint, continuing as though she had the answers. "I mean, there's no denying that you and her are close and all (*cough* totally-platonic *cough*) but it's just… what good qualities do you see in her?"

Bell rolled her eyes. "Great. Are you now my psychiatrist or something? What's next, some ink-blot tests?"

Justinia seemed unaffected by the retort. "Oh, I could be, but I flunked outta psychiatrist school! Plus my ink-blots looked like some octopus pissed all over scrap paper," she joked, "But if you ask me, all Cog's got going for are her guns that _totally_ don't make me think that she's compensating for something. If anything, you two kinda make an odd pairing. But hey: as the old saying goes, 'opposites attract!'" Justinia followed up with playful winks in Bell's direction.

' _Oh please, don't go there...'_ Thankfully, another thought popped up in Justinia's mind as she suddenly straightened up with the next question loaded. "Oh, wait! What about the two characters that, for once, aren't OC? Uh, Nitroplus was her name?"

"Nitroplus and her buddy Raw Meat," Bell corrected.

Justinia snapped her fingers. "Yeah, those two! There's like… It's kinda funny, seeing as how this story's got 'Neptunia' in the name, but other than a mention here and there and with Vert showing up at the very end, there's not a whole lot of relation to the main franchise other than those two fellas!"

"Don't blame me, I didn't write this story," quipped Bell, "Tell that to the author. Or authors. And even then, there's no guarantee that anyone who is familiar with the franchise will recognize those two."

Leaning back against her seat, Justinia gave a sarcastic laugh. "Only gamers who shelved money for a _Megadimension Neptunia VII_ DLC will understand! Oh right, this whole story's supposed to take place around the same time as that game, isn't it? Judging by when we meet Vert, I reckon the story's already taken place by the game's second story arc!"

Bell gave a blank stare, as she wasn't quite sure where this was going. "Uh, yeah. I think it was mentioned somewhere in the very first chapter that this takes place at the same time as that game."

"Which means our readers can expect the next story from our dear authors to take place around the same time and events as that game!" Justinia began spinning in her chair. "Woot! Woot!"

Justinia took a quick peek at Bell's face to find it filled with boredom rather than excitement and the spinning chair came to a screeching halt. "... What? You're not looking forward to it?"

Bell turned away, clearly disinterested. "Ugh. That just means more work for me. I mean, sure, the stuff that went on in this story was for a good cause and all, but I think that's more than enough excitement anyone would want to get in their lifetime."

"Oh, I wouldn't think so!" teased Justinia as she leaned closer over her podium, "You're still the 'protagonist' of the show which means you're _so_ gonna be coming back for the sequels!"

Bell groaned as she sunk her head on her the couch's armrest. "Why me?"

"Because the fates have dictated that you will be the main protagonist of the PC side, just like how Neptune tends to call herself the main protagonist of like, everything. Seriously, she even called herself 'Protagonists of Protagonists' like she's some -"

"It was a rhetorical question!" Bell moaned in exasperation and suffering. But all that accomplished was to make Justinia laugh in delight. But just now, the sound bite of a loud alarm bell rang out, signalling the end of the broadcast.

"Well!" announced Justinia as she clasped her hands together as she stood up from her seat, "Looks like that's all the time we have today! But remember: you heard it here, folks! Next episode's coming up and all I know is that it's gonna be bigger and badder! How big? Lemme throw some numbers at ya: 58% more characters! 87% more action! A million percent more 'wub-wub' which should be statistically proven because this story didn't include any 'wub-wubs'!

"A big round of applause for Bell here - yes, _Bell_ , not _Belly_ \- for spending her time with us! I'm Justinia Emmett and this has been the episode of 'Justinia Emmett Live!' for 'Neptunia PC'! Stay tuned for round 2 in a website near you!"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
_ _HistoricHippos:  
_ And with that, that's the end of our very first fanfic, "Neptunia PC"! And as it was our very first fanfic we've written, I hope you've enjoyed your time with the story we've told. Granted, it's very OC with an entirely new world and concepts and with only a handful of mentions about the stuff that makes Neptunia, well, Neptunia, but I hope you've enjoyed what we had to offer.

Also, a small bit of a sneak-peak, but this story is going to be the first of a trilogy. So expect more stuff from us in the future, specifically the sequel!

 _Panzer_Bros:  
_ This was extremely fun from start to finish, I must say. From one idea, to the next, we built up a continent and some of those whom live in it. I'll try not to repeat what my fellow author has said, but as our first fanfiction, I'm quite proud of what we have created.

And yes, as HistoricHippos has mentioned before, there are more stories in the works! You, dear reader, will have to wait and find out. Thank you all for your feedback on this so much. After all, there is nothing wrong with more Neptunia!

If there is any questions on anything to do with the fanfic or something on those lines, then please send a PM and one/both of us will gladly answer.


End file.
